Symphony
by Julia-Chama
Summary: This is the sequel to the "All Alone" ending of my first story, My Favorite Song. ...I'm still the same. lol This one is being posted on MCL too. I plan to make it about 50 chapters long. I hope you enjoy it!
1. Chapter 0: Prologue

"I can't believe it's time for school already," I mumbled to myself as I turned off my alarm clock and rolled out of bed. It was the first day back to school after summer vacation, and I certainly wasn't feeling too happy about it. Early mornings, boring classes, lots of homework; the very thought of these things made me want to cover myself with blankets and never get up. Still, I didn't have much of a choice, so I got up, got dressed (in a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers: my new favorite clothing combo), and made myself something to eat for breakfast. _I'm sure it won't be_ _ **all**_ _bad...,_ I thought to myself as I ate. _At least I'll get to see my friends again, and maybe I'll check out some new club activities._ The more I thought about it, the better I felt about going back to school. After all, everything was going my way.

It had been over a year since I transferred to Lakewood High School. Just like with every other school, I had busy days going to and from classes and trying my best to finish the not-so-modest amount of homework assigned to me. However, this school was different from the rest too. Instead of racing through the halls in fear of being late for class, my schedule now allowed me some time to take a breath and calmly walk to wherever I was going. While the subjects were still boring and there was still plenty of homework, somehow, it didn't feel as difficult as it did before, and the teachers were very nice. In fact, the whole atmosphere was very nice. The hallways were calm and quiet, the lunches were always served hot (except for when they're not supposed to be, that is), and almost everyone was kind to each other. Things were considerably different here than they'd ever been at my previous school, Sweet Amoris High. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I died there and went straight to academic heaven. By the time I reached the front doors of peaceful Lakewood High, I felt myself actually smile for once. After all these years of hardship and heartbreak, I could only hope that this had been my last transfer, my final high school. And with that in mind, I opened the door in front of me and entered the building.

My schedule for that day was typical: math, science, history...all the basic stuff. I was on my way to my first class when I heard a familiar voice call out to me.

"Hey, Julia!"

I stopped walking and turned around to see a tall boy with brown hair and blue eyes walking towards me. It was Chris, the boy I'd bumped into on my first day here...literally. I remember it very well. I was almost dashing through the halls, desperate to not be late for class, when I accidentally ran right into him. Everything I was carrying was knocked to the floor, including myself. I thought for sure he'd think I was an idiot, but then he started to help me as I scrambled to pick up my things (…including myself...). We both introduced ourselves afterwards, and we've been friends ever since. It was a huge relief to have made a friend on the first day, no matter how unexpectedly it happened. It was also kind of refreshing to have a non-romantic relationship with a boy for once, unlike that other year... _very much_ unlike that other year...

"Hey...hello? Are you listening?"

I saw a hand wave in front of my face. "Geez, where are you? I'm trying to tell you some good news here..."

I realized just then that I was off in my own little world again and quickly snapped out of it. "Oh! I'm sorry...what were you saying?"

He chortled and shook his head. "Sheesh. How 'bout a fair warning next time you go to another planet, space cadet?"

I couldn't help but giggle at that, for I knew all too well that he was right. Then he continued,

"Anyway, guess who just got nominated for student body president?"

I smiled. "Oh, I don't know...it couldn't be you, could it?"

He smiled back. "Sorry to disappoint you~."

We both laughed for a few seconds and then I said, "But really, that's great! I hope you get elected."

"Trust me. I'll do everything I can to win that election."

I really believed that, and he really deserved it too. He'd been trying to become the student body president ever since I met him – probably even longer – and up until recently, he was stuck as a class president. I was just about to wish him luck, but he spoke first.

"Anyway, we should probably go to our classes now. I'll see you later."

With that, he turned and walked away.

"Okay, see you later!" I replied to him as I did the same.

My first few classes of the day were not easy. Whoever made my schedule was crazy if they thought putting Algebra II, U.S. History, and English together first thing in the morning was a good idea. At least I had an interest in Chinese class, but that too was incredibly difficult. Regardless, I managed to set my grievances aside and power through the lectures. After the bell signaling the end of English finally rang, it was time for lunch. I felt myself smile as I walked from my classroom to my locker and then to the cafeteria. And to top it off, today was pizza day.

At the cafeteria, I got my lunch and looked around for somewhere to sit. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed someone waving at me. I looked over to see my best friend, Jasmine, gesturing for me to sit with her.

Jasmine was another good friend I made here at Lakewood. I met her in one of the classes we had together last year, and we got along so well that we became best friends that very day. The fact that we were so much alike, especially in terms of awkwardness, was a great relief to both of us since no one else seemed to understand. I thought it'd be a good idea to join her today, so I smiled and walked over.

"Hi, Jasmine!" I said, as I sat down next to her. "How are you today?"

She shrugged. "I'm alright, just bored with this whole day. You?"

"Yeah, me too. Morning classes are never any fun, dude. Hopefully the ones after this will be better."

"Hopefully. Lemme see your schedule, maybe we'll have something together."

I took my class schedule out of my pocket and handed it to Jasmine, who immediately started comparing it to her own.

"Hmm... hey! We have the next three classes together! We got physics, choir & floral." She declared happily.

My mood brightened as well. "Wow, really? That's awesome – three for three! This is gonna be a great year!"

"Agreed," Jasmine agreed.

After sharing our excitement about our same classes, we spent the rest of the hour talking about animals, video games, and nail polish. We got so caught up in our conversation, in fact, that we nearly forgot to eat! But then, that's how it always was with us. After lunch was over, we separated briefly so I could get what I needed for the next class, and then we met up again in our designated classroom. It was time for Floral Design. Shortly after I'd arrived at the classroom, the teacher walked in and introduced herself to everyone.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Mrs. Hana." _...Really?_

After the introductions, Mrs. Hana began lecturing the class on how to identify various types of flowers and how to take care of them, the different kinds of tools and how to use them, and most importantly, how to make them into a nice bouquet. She then proceeded to hand out one flower, a pair of shears, and a notecard to each student.

"Now then..." she said. "First, I would like each of you to identify the flower I just gave you and write the name down on your notecard. Then you will practice using those shears to cut off the excess stems. I will be walking around the classroom every now and then to check on your progress, so please let me know if you're having any trouble. Don't worry about getting everything right. It's only the first day and this is only a practice activity, so no one's getting graded today. I will be revealing the correct name of the flower at the end of class though, so please pay attention. Oh, and I cannot stress this enough; _please_ be very careful not to cut yourselves with the shears! Now, if you're all ready, you may begin."

So we did.

As I followed my teacher's instructions, I found that while naming the flower was easy, cutting off its stem evenly was quite the challenge. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't cut it to the right length and it was almost always at a bad angle. I felt even worse when I looked at Jasmine's flower and saw that not only had she cut the stem perfectly, she had tied a small, pink bow around it too.

 _Where did she even get that...?_

By the time I looked back at my own almost-adequate flower to try and fix it, the bell for the end of class rang.

 _Oh no..._

"Okay everyone, time's up!" Mrs. Hana exclaimed before walking around the room one last time to collect everyone's work. After she was done, she walked back to the front of the class and continued. "Now, if you paid attention to the lesson, you would know that the flowers I gave you are called Chrysanthemums. Everyone did well with them, but I can see that many of you would've benefited from more time. Don't worry, I don't expect all of you to work at the same pace; floral design is a form of art, after all. Rushing you guys would be like rushing Leonardo da Vinci or Vincent van Gogh! I promise you will all have more time to work on projects in the future – this one was just a warm-up. In the meantime, you've all worked very hard today. Keep it up and your grades are sure to reflect that. Class dismissed!"

So we left.

As I walked through the hallways on my way to...wherever I was going, I pulled out my class schedule again to see where exactly that was. According to the list, next up was Physics.

"Oh, boy..." I muttered to myself before getting the textbook out of my backpack. I had a strong feeling I wasn't going to like this class, and just one glance at the first chapter confirmed it. I flipped through the pages of the book and stared at them in complete and utter dismay as I made my way to class. But before I even got to the door...

*BUMP*

I ran into something and fell backwards onto the floor. "Oww..."

"Uh...you alright?"

 _Not something...someone..._

"Huh?" I looked up to see Chris holding his hand out to me with a pitying smile on his face.

 _Oh god. Why me? Why him? Why now?_

"Y-Yeah..." I stuttered as I took his hand, letting him quickly pull me up.

"You sure have a strange habit of doing that..." He said to me, his smile growing.

"Yes, yes I do. I'm sorry and I promise I'll work on that, but right now, I need to get to class." I replied unamused and somewhat impatiently. Only then did I realize that the door to my classroom was right in front of me.

"Oh...well I guess I'm already here..."

"Then it looks like we finally have a class together."

My irritation was quickly replaced with excitement.

"Really? That's awesome!"

Last year, Chris and I didn't even get one class together, so we were really hoping we'd get one this year. Now, upon hearing that our wish would be granted, we were more than looking forward to it. After all, having Jasmine _and_ Chris in the same class with me made even physics sound bearable. With that in mind, Chris and I entered the classroom.

As it turned out, not only were the three of us in the same class together, but the teacher even let us choose our lab partners, so we got to stay together. So far, this class was going great. But alas, physics was still physics, and physics was complicated; too many graphs, too many equations, and too many...problems! Chris and Jasmine seemed to understand the concepts well enough, but I for one struggled with almost every task that was given to me. Clearly, I had some studying to do. Perhaps I could get one of my friends to help me, but that would have to wait until later. I was way too exhausted to think about it anymore today. As I was leaving the classroom after we'd been dismissed, I felt someone shove me from behind.

"Get out of my way, numbnuts!" A brown-haired girl in a pink dress barked as she passed by, pushing me into the wall.

I remembered her. That was Capucine, the meanest girl in school. Remember when I said _almost_ everyone was nice to each other? Well she's the exception. This girl liked to torture just about everyone, and her favorite way of doing so was blackmail. Last year, she stole my backpack and threatened to destroy it and everything in it if I didn't do that day's homework for her. One time, she threatened to spread terrible rumors about Jasmine doing "special favors" for teachers in exchange for better grades if she didn't hand over her sweater and shoes. I even saw her hold a switchblade to Chris's throat once and threaten...well, the obvious, if he didn't use his status and power to make her Prom Queen that year. I've seen her stealing from people, vandalizing school and student property, telling terrible lies about people, and sometimes worse just so she would get her way. Many students have tried reporting her (including me), but her act of innocence seems to have the entire school staff fooled. We've tried time and time again to find something, _anything_ we could use against her, but we failed every single time. She was just too good at covering up her tracks, and was quick to take revenge upon those who tried to bring her to justice. Now a lot of students are too scared to even question her actions, let alone fight against them. I too was a little on edge, but I wasn't giving up. I couldn't give up. She'd hurt too many people, and I wasn't going to stand for it. Mean Queen Capucine was going down, even if I had to dethrone her myself. I just needed to figure out how. Regardless, I didn't have time to think about that now. I'd been lost in my thoughts for so long that by the time I snapped out of it, I was already five minutes late for Choir.

 _Oh no!_ I thought to myself as I dashed through the hallways trying to figure out where I was going. I realized it was still only the first day, but I've always pushed myself to be on time no matter what, for to be late was to be a disgrace in my mind. I'd been pretty good about it my whole life, but the one time I _was_ late, I was sent to detention, and I certainly didn't want that again. It was a good thing there were maps everywhere in the school, or I would've been lost forever, but I eventually did find my class. After receiving a warning from my teacher about tardiness I took my spot in the choir. I had gotten there just after the introductions, and all we really did that day were vocal warm-ups and basic sheet music reading anyway. We were each given a warm-up exercise sheet and a copy of the sheet music for "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" to take home and practice by ourselves, but that was the extent of today's lesson. I was fairly confident I hadn't missed anything important, but if I was wrong, Jasmine would surely fill me in on whatever I needed to know. That being said, it was time to move on to my last (and certainly not best) class, Physical Education.

There was nothing really special about P.E. class that day. We stretched, ran laps, did push-ups, the usual agonizing workouts, and the coach didn't let up until the class was over. What did interest me is that on my way out of the gym, I ran into yet another person; a girl with blue hair tied up into a half-ponytail with a ton of colorful hairpins all over (or is that confetti...? I can never be sure...). There was no way I could forget hair like that. It was Lucy, another new friend I'd made here about a year ago, when one of our teachers put us on the same collaboration team. I didn't notice until now, but it seems we were classmates once again.

"Hi, Lucy! How are ya?"

"Oh wow, Julia, hi! I'm doing great, thanks for asking! It's already my month-iversary with my boyfriend, AND we're in all the same classes together! Can you believe it?"

I was kind of surprised, actually. Not just because they were in every single class together (which in and of itself is very unlikely), but because she actually managed to stay with someone for more than a week. Lucy must have gone through 15 boyfriends last year alone, and every time it was always the same – date for a week, break up, cry about it for a few days, find a new boyfriend, rinse and repeat. Her track record caught many people's attention, and "One-Week Wendy" became the highlight of gossip at school. Maybe now, with this new relationship, "Honey-Month Mindy" could make her debut. In all honesty though, I was really happy for her.

"Wow, that's great! Happy Month-iversary!" I congratulated her with a big smile.

"Thanks!" She replied, practically jumping with excitement. "Well, I'm gonna go find him now. I'll see you later!"

"Yeah, see you!"

At that, she turned and skipped away. P.E. class was over and so was school for the day, so I left too.

On my way out of the school, I had a short conversation with Chris and then caught up with Jasmine so we could walk home together, as we always did since we lived in the same apartment building. Once we got there, we said goodbye to each other and parted ways. I went back to my apartment exhausted, yet somewhat excited for the new school year. I reunited with my best friends, discovered I had some interesting classes, and I had those classes with my best friends; what else could possibly go right? Things were looking up for me this year, I could just feel it. So, I retrieved my homework from my backpack and got started on it. I was stressed and relaxed all at the same time, and it was wonderful. At that moment, I knew that nothing could ruin my quiet, carefree life. Nothing.

Yet.


	2. Old Habits Die Hard, Like, REALLY Hard

By the next week, I had just about settled into my new routine. I knew where to go and when to be there, and I had a pretty good idea of who I'd meet along the way (although each day was never quite the same). Today, I had entered the school and was on my way to my locker when I saw Chris, who smiled at me and started walking beside me.

"Hey, Julia. I was wondering when you'd get here." Curious, I replied "Why? Did something happen?"

"Not really...I just wanted to ask you something."

"What?"

"Well, as you know, all candidates for student body president are required to give a big, formal speech in front of the entire school. I have all the basic ideas prepared, and I was just wondering if you could maybe listen to what I have so far and give it some criticism."

"...You want me to criticize you?"

"As harshly as you can." Chris answered, jokingly. "And don't ever let up. I want you to make me _cry_." I couldn't help but laugh.

"Wow, okay! ….But why me? I'm not exactly the best at public speaking, you know...or politics..."

Chuckling, he said "That's fine. I don't need you to be an expert on any of this. This speech is for the students – my friends and classmates – and that includes you. The way I see it, your opinion represents many opinions, so I would really appreciate your input. Plus, it's more fun to be ripped apart by a good friend than some random acquaintance."

"Thanks, I...really appreciate it!" _Geez...what does this guy think I'm gonna do to him? X'D_

"Haha...So, all jokes aside, how about we meet up after school? We could go to the study hall classroom; no one's ever in there after school hours."

"Why does that matter? Are you embarrassed?" I teased. He looked away for a moment before responding.

"Yes...no...well, kinda. I haven't done a speech in front of the whole school before, and I want to make sure I'm 100% prepared before I do. Well, that and I don't want to risk someone overhearing me and stealing my ideas. I know you won't, so there's nothing to worry about there."

I smirked. "Are you sure~?"

He just looked at me and said, "Of course I'm sure. I know you too well, and besides, you just admitted yourself that you're "not the best" at public speaking." I froze for a moment, but quickly recovered.

"Well...what if I lied?"

"You're a terrible liar."

"Ack! O.O" I exclaimed, frustrated by my lack of a good comeback. I knew he was right; anyone who knew me knew that I was a natural-born truth teller. So I hung my head in shame and silently accepted my defeat.

"Heh. Like I said, I know you too well."

By then, we had finally reached my locker, so I took out the book I needed and then turned towards Chris to say goodbye to him.

"Yeah...well anyway, I gotta go to class now and I'm sure you do too, so I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure thing. See ya later."

Then he left, and I started towards Algebra II. It was not fun.

I tried my best to pay attention through the rest of my morning classes, but my mind was constantly dying to go anywhere else. So, it did. I daydreamed a lot, thought about the things I had to do that day, and when I wasn't doing either of those, I thought about my conversation with Chris. He wanted me to critique his speech? How was I supposed to do that? I'd never "critiqued" anything before, let alone a speech that'd be delivered in front of the entire school. Needless to say, I was nervous. I could tell this would bother me for the rest of the day, but my worries would have to wait because at that moment, the dismissal bell for my English class rang, letting us know that it was time for lunch.

I decided to join Lucy in the cafeteria today. Other than the brief encounter I had with her last week, I hadn't really spoken to her much at all, and we hadn't hung out in forever. I had barely even reached the table before she burst into conversation.

"Hey, Julia!" She smiled at me as I sat down. I smiled back.

"Hey Lucy, how are you?"

"I'm doing great, thank you!" She pulled out her phone and browsed the internet. "Hey, check out these clothes. I've been looking through this fashion website all day, and almost everything here is just gorgeous. Like this one." She pointed to a light yellow, somewhat frilly summer dress that cuts off right above the knees. "I bet that would look super cute on you~"

"Um...I don't think so," I objected. "I don't really do dresses...and I _really_ don't do yellow. It might look good on you though."

"Maybe...but so would everything else~. We do have to find something for you though. No offense, girl, but that t-shirt-'n-jeans thing you've got goin' on is getting old." She scrolled further through the page. "I wonder if they sell clothes like these at the mall..."

"Not with those prices, they won't," I scoffed. "This is a small town, and those clothes cost over a thousand dollars a piece!"

Lucy just sighed and said, "Yeah, maybe not...but I _am_ gonna take you clothes shopping one of these days. Don't even think for one second that you're getting out of it!" I giggled at that.

"Of course not! I know better than that."

"Good!"

We both laughed for a moment, and then I remembered something I wanted to ask her since our last discussion.

"So...how was your month-iversary?"

The smile disappeared from Lucy's face, her happiness quickly replaced with sorrow.

 _Uh-oh..._

"Our month-iversary...never happened."

"What? What do you–?"

"That jerk! I can't believe he forgot our special day!"

Frustrated and heartbroken, she burst into tears. Everyone within 30 feet of us turned to look at her, but I somewhat-aggressively gestured for them to look away, as I usually did when this sort of thing would happen. I felt awful for Lucy. Despite the silliness of a "month-iversary," I was really proud of her for committing to a relationship for that long. I thought she might've actually had something real this time, but here she was, crying her heart out once again. Poor girl...

"And things were going so well, too! I totally thought I was gonna marry this one..."

 _Okay...that might be a little TOO much..._

"Aww, I'm so sorry things didn't work out for you guys. But hey, it's like we always say; there's another one waiting right around the corner...right?"

"I don't even want to think about that right now..." Lucy trailed off, staring blankly at her food.

Nothing I could've said at that moment would make anything better, so I just sat there in awkward silence and finished my lunch. I knew in my heart Lucy would be fine – she usually recovered quickly – but that didn't stop me from worrying about her. One of these days, the pain would be too much for her to handle, and who knows what she would do then? I could only hope that her knight in shining armor would come for her someday, and someday soon. Until then, all I could do was support her. It was partially my fault for bringing it up, anyway.

After lunch, I continued through my afternoon classes. I tried desperately not to copy Jasmine in floral design (but I did wonder where she kept getting those bows and ribbons from...), then we met up with Chris in physics. Afterwards, Jasmine and I sang some stuff in choir, and finally, I forced myself to at least jog the laps in gym. Although it was a bit hard to focus considering Lucy and her cold, emotionless face were right next to me the whole time. I couldn't wait to get out of there. Once that class had finally ended, school was officially over, and it was time for me to meet up with Chris.

I nearly ran through the hallways on my way to the study hall room. Chris never mentioned exactly when he'd be there, and I certainly didn't want to keep him waiting. I was nervous and excited all at the same time, and my goofy smile proved it. I really hoped that whatever I ended up saying would make Chris proud of me, and that it would help him make our school better, but I had no way of knowing what would happen just yet. For all I knew, I could end up letting him down, and for as much as I hated that thought, I realized it was a very real possibility. Getting through the halls at this time of day was generally easy, since most of the students were piled up at the entrance by now, so I was already almost there in less than a minute. However, just after I turned the very last corner, I immediately froze. Standing there, at the end of the hallway, was...

"...At long last, I've finally found you...Darling."

Those unique clothes, that soft, chilling voice, that devilish smile...

 _Oh...My...Freaking...God._

"Hello...Lysander."

"I've been looking everywhere for you." he said as he walked towards me. In that moment, there was nothing I wanted more than to turn around and run away as fast as I could, but my feet remained securely attached to the ground. I couldn't move.

"I've searched countless towns and cities for you, even some in other countries, longing for the day I'd see you again. And now that that day has finally come..."

Before I knew it, Lysander was standing right in front of me.

"...I'll never let you out of my sight again."

He reached his hand out to touch my cheek, but I turned my head away. It was the only part of my body that hadn't gone numb yet. With a sad and disappointed expression on his face, he pulled his hand back. "I...didn't know you were that scared of me. Your lack of trust hurts me deeply, Darling, but I can't say I blame you. I know I've done terrible things to you in the past, and I've hurt you very badly. That's why I decided that perhaps I deserved a punishment of my own..."

He rolled up his left sleeve to reveal a long scar running from his wrist to his elbow. It looked healed, but just the size of it made me shudder. To think what kind of pain he must have put himself through to get it was very frightening. As I was now completely paralyzed in fear, Lysander rolled his sleeve back down and continued.

"This scar serves as a reminder of the pain that I've caused you, and symbolizes the promise that I will never be violent towards you again. I'm ashamed I ever was..." He inched closer, resting his hand on the side of my face. "...but I know we can be happy together, Julia. I'm still very much in love with you, after all."

He leaned in slowly, closer and closer until his lips locked with mine. My eyes widened, my heart was racing, and I could feel myself blushing. I hadn't felt anything like this for a long time now, and unfortunately, my heart had gotten the better of me. Having decided there was nothing else I could do (or perhaps just didn't _want_ to do), I simply relaxed, closed my eyes, and enjoyed the kiss. It lasted only a few seconds, but it was wonderful nonetheless.

"It's funny though..." Lysander said, a few seconds later.

"What is?" I replied, finally regaining the ability to speak.

"You've been hiding in plain sight this entire time. If I had known you were only one town away, I would have been here quite a bit sooner..."

"...O-One town away...?"

He looked at me, confused. "Darling...didn't you know? Sweet Amoris is only a few miles away from here..."

"..."

"...and this town is called Sweet Adoreis..."

"..."

"...Surely you must have known..."

"..."

"...Oh, Darling...your naïveté truly astonishes me...but I certainly won't complain. Your adorably ignorant mind is what brought us together, after all."

I couldn't argue with him; this "small" mishap was on me. I was only _one_ town away? And it was called Sweet Adoreis? I thought for sure I moved further than that! How could I not know where I've been living this whole time...? Lysander wasn't the only one amazed by my stupidity; I was completely and utterly dumbfounded. So much so, in fact, that I almost didn't hear Lysander talking.

"Oh...I hadn't realized it had gotten so late. We should really be going now. Here, let me walk you home." He smiled and held his hand out to me, but I just stood there and shook my head.

"Sorry Lysander, but I have somewhere else to be."

"Oh? Where, pray tell?"

"...To see a friend. I was supposed to meet them after school today." I didn't dare mention Chris's name. The very thought of another guy in my life would set him off for sure.

"...Very well. I'll see you tomorrow." Lysander turned and started walking away. I was just about to do the same when suddenly, the door at the end of the hall opened, and out walked Chris.

"Oh, there you are! I was starting to think you forgot about me." He said as he pulled me towards him and ruffled my hair.

"Never! And cut that out!" I replied with a cheerful giggle.

"Never~!" Chris mocked, refusing to stop his nonsense. We laughed and had fun like that for a few seconds, but then we calmed down again. We had an actual reason for being there, after all, and we didn't want to get too distracted.

"Well... we should probably go back to the study hall room now." Chris said. "I wouldn't want you to miss out on my speech rehearsal, especially considering you're the only one I invited to listen."

I smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I've been waiting to hear it all day!"

"Awesome!"

He started towards the study hall room, and I followed. However… a nagging feeling caused me to stop and look behind me. Not entirely to my surprise, Lysander was still standing there. He had a blank expression on his face, which I reflected immediately. We just stared at each other like that for a moment, until he scowled and walked away. That wasn't good. At all.

"Hey, over here! This way! You're 20 feet from the door, how lost can you be...?" Chris called out from the doorway.

"Hold on a second, I'll be right there!" I shouted at him as I headed his way. "And I'll get as lost as I want, thank you very much!" Upon reaching the door, I glanced back one more time, and entered the room. I sat down at the frontmost desk and waited patiently for Chris to begin his speech.

"Alright, let's begin." he said to me before proceeding to clear his throat. "Classmates, teachers, cafeteria ladies, and everyone in-between, might I just say, good job. You've all worked very hard to give this school a good name, and based on our glowing reputation, I'd say that effort more than paid off. Go ahead and give yourselves a big round of applause!" He paused for a moment, then continued. "However, with that being said, we're not finished just yet. There are still many areas in our school system that require some attention. For example…"

So far, so good, I thought. Getting the audience on your good side certainly isn't a bad idea, especially if your audience is mostly comprised of high school students, whose hormones and insecurities are constantly reaching an all-time high. I would have loved nothing more than to hear the kinds of school issues Chris was planning to fix, but unfortunately, the details never reached my ears. Instead, my mind decided to play a cruel trick on me and wandered off to the last thing I wanted to think about in that moment – Lysander. Lysander...he was one of the boys I met a couple years ago, when I still lived in Sweet Amoris. I met him in the town park through his best friend...well, his former best friend now...and he'd been infatuated with me ever since. No, infatuated was putting it lightly. He was obsessed with me. Just two days after I'd met him, he'd transferred to my school, started following me home, and stalked me absolutely everywhere I went; he even chased me through the pouring rain and threatened to do unspeakable things to me as "punishment" just because I ignored his calls! And that nickname he gave me – "Darling"...such a beautiful term of endearment, ruined by his twisted sense of entitlement. Hearing it again today gave me chills to the point where I was completely frozen in place.

Here I thought my past was behind me, that I had finally moved on, and hopefully he did too, but here he was. He found me. He finally found me. Almost two years had gone by, and he never stopped searching. I couldn't believe it. Well...that wasn't entirely true; this _was_ Lysander after all. If old habits die hard, then Lysander's are immortal. I knew first-hand the kinds of things he'd do to get what he wanted. And what he wanted...was me. I've been his target since the day we met, and nothing could have frightened me more. So then, why? Why did I not run away? Why did I let him come close to me? And why in the world did I let him kiss me? Was there something more that I just wasn't remembering? Did all of those nightmarish memories block out the nicer times I had with him? The gentleness he displayed earlier did seem rather familiar, and although I remembered him being a bit rough at times, he never once hit me. Was our relationship really as bad as I thought? Was there really never a time when I was happy with him? I couldn't help but wonder...did I actually used to love him?

"...And so, my team and I have put together an approved budget for an arcade machine in each classroom and free ice cream after naptime."

"...Wait, what?" I snapped out of…. Whatever that was… right away.

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering when you'd come back. How was outer space?"

"Err...sorry...I really didn't mean to space out like that...no pun intended... ._."

"That's a shame; it would've been a great pun. Anyways, I don't mind. You tend to do this quite a lot. I just didn't expect you to be out of it for so long. I finished my speech ten minutes ago."

"Really? Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I really meant to listen, I promise! It's just that I was thinking about...um...well..."

"About that...What _were_ you thinking about? From the look on your face, I could tell this wasn't your usual happy-go-lucky adventure...Are you okay?"

"Of course! I'm fine, don't worry. It was nothing important. Anyways, it's really late now. If we don't go soon, they're gonna lock us in, and I for one don't wanna spend the night at school! So yeah, I'm gonna head home now. Again, I'm really sorry for zoning out like that, but I would love to listen to your speech another time. See you tomorrow!"

"Wait! Before you go, there's something I wanna ask you."

"Yes?"

"Who was that weird guy I saw you with earlier? Do you know him?"

"Uh...nope! Not at all!"

"Are you sure...? Because when I came to get you, you looked like you'd seen a ghost."

"I don't think so...you must be imagining things."

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure I saw him staring at you the entire time we were talking, too."

"It's really no big deal. Don't worry about it."

"Nice try, but I'm not buying it. You've been acting really weird since that guy showed up, and it's starting to worry me. What's going on? Who was that?"

"...Someone I knew a long time ago."

"Who?"

"His name is Lysander. He's...a friend from my last school. We were just catching up."

"Well, from what I saw, he seems really suspicious. I wouldn't trust him if I were you."

"Thanks Chris, but I promise I'll be alright. You trust me, right?"

"Of course I do, but...please be careful, okay? If you ever feel like you're in trouble, don't hesitate to get help. And remember, I'm always here if you need me."

"Okay. Thank you, Chris."

"No problem, Julia. Anyway, it's been a long day. Let's go home."

"I agree. Let's go."

And with that, Chris and I walked side by side out of the school. He walked me all the way to my apartment building, where we said our goodbyes and separated for the day. I spent the rest of the night relaxing, for the most part, making sure to only do the homework that was due the next day. Everything else would have to wait, as I was terribly exhausted and bound to pass out any moment now.

 _What a day..._ I thought to myself as I collapsed onto my bed. To say it was hectic was an understatement; it was absolutely chaotic. School in and of itself was problematic, but now Lucy and Chris were going crazy with their problems, and now it seemed I had one as well. I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that Lysander was here. He was _here_...for good! And he didn't look too happy about seeing me with Chris earlier...

 _Oh god...what am I gonna do?_

Thankfully, I didn't have to think about it for long. Before I knew it, I was out like a light and well on my way to the dream world. Whatever might happen with Lysander would just have to wait, because nothing was getting in the way of my precious sleep. I wouldn't stand for it.

…...But that wasn't exactly up to me anymore.


	3. They Say Your Past Will Haunt You

I had only just fallen asleep, when...

*BANG BANG BANG*

I jolted awake. Someone was banging quite furiously on the front door, so loudly that I could hear it clearly from my bedroom, half-asleep. Frightened, I just sat there and waited, hoping it would go away. That kind of sound at this time of night wasn't exactly the most comforting thing in the world, and I wasn't about to answer the door to a thief or killer, although I did find it odd that they hadn't broken in already. _Maybe it's the police..._ I thought to myself. However, I knew I did nothing wrong, and I hadn't disturbed any of my neighbors since I'd been here, so the chances of that were also unlikely. Whatever the case, I decided to ignore it and go back to sleep, but then...

*Ding-Dong*

...Whoever it was rang the doorbell. _Ding-Dong?_ I thought. _I don't think a predator would ring the doorbell...or the police, for that matter. I wonder who it is..._ Defeated by my curiosity, I decided to get up and answer the door. And the moment I did –

"There you are." Lysander shoved the door open and barged into my apartment.

 _Not the predator I was thinking of, but close enough..._

"Darling, we need to talk."

I was dazed with fear and confusion – not to mention, I was still very, very sleepy. "W-What...? What are you talking about? What are you doing here?"

"I just told you, we need to talk."

"About what?"

"I think you know."

"I honestly don't."

"Don't lie to me. I saw you with him earlier today."

"Oh dear lord, do we really have to do this right now? It's only chapter two...well three, if you count the prologue."

"...Darling, I'm sorry to intrude when you clearly need your rest, but I need you to tell me right now: Who was he?"

"Who, Chris? He's one of my friends."

"Really? So I assume you let all your friends pull you close and bond with you like that."

"Oh what, you mean when he ruffled my hair and joked around with me? We were just having fun; it was nothing serious."

"Stop. Lying. To me. I know what I saw, Julia, and I don't like it. I can't believe there's another one. Why are you doing this to me? Why do you always insist on pursuing other men when I'm the one who truly loves you?" He inched closer. "You are mine, and mine alone. I don't care what kind of 'friend' he is to you; I won't allow yet another man to get between us." With that, Lysander grabbed the back of my head and gave me a passionate kiss, keeping me tightly pressed him. He let go after a few seconds, and made his way towards the door. "For your sake, Darling, I hope it really was innocent, because if he ever touches you like that again..." he trailed off as he stopped and turned back to look at me. "...you might not have your 'friend' for much longer." And then he left, closing the door behind him.

I stood there, paralyzed in shock; not so much because he'd showing up at my apartment – visiting me in the dead of night was one of Lysander's favorite hobbies – but rather, I was shocked at the last thing he said. "You might not have your friend for much longer." Just what did he mean by that? What was he going to do to Chris if we upset him again? _Great...now instead of threatening me, he's threatening my friends? I can't just let this happen!_ I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to one of my best friends, so I immediately ran to my phone and called Chris to tell him what happened. However, it was already three in the morning, so even after a few tries, Chris didn't pick up his phone. I thought nothing of it of course, as he had told me a few times that he was a really heavy sleeper, so I decided to leave a voicemail and a few text messages instead, telling him to meet with me about it the next day. I also considered calling the police, but without any proof of malicious intent, I knew they wouldn't be able to help me. Besides, Lysander was clever; he would probably find a way around the law. I had a feeling that calling the authorities would do nothing but provoke him, and the last thing I wanted to do was paint a big, red target on my back (or anyone else's, for that matter). All I could do was warn Chris and hope he'd take it seriously.

"Maybe he'll know what to do..." I sighed as I once again fell onto my bed, exhausted from the bizarre events of that day. I was so sure before that I wouldn't have to think about Lysander any more that night, but now, I couldn't think of anything else. He consumed my every last thought until I finally fell asleep. Perfect.

The next morning, I could not be in any more of a rush to get to Chris. As soon as I got to the school, I took off running in the direction of his locker. To my relief, he was there, just getting out some books. I walked up to him quickly.

"Hey, I gotta tell you something. It's important."

"Ahh! Oh, hey Julia, I didn't see you there. You scared me."

"Oh, sorry! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just really need to tell you something..."

"Oh, yeah, that's right! And I'm sure it's important too, but before you say anything, there's someone I wanna introduce you to."

"What? But–!"

"It won't take long, I promise. You can tell me whatever you need to say right afterwards, okay? C'mon."

Chris closed his locker and led me to another. The locker door was opened towards us, blocking our view of its owner, but Chris was confident it was the right person.

"Hey there, stranger! I know you're probably busy getting ready for class and stuff, but since you're new here, I'd like you to meet one of my best friends."

The person behind the locker closed the door and turned to face us. That face...I knew it all too well.

"Julia, this is Nathaniel. Nathaniel, Julia."

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. _Nathaniel too?_ It just wasn't possible. And yet, here he was, standing right in front of me.

"Pleasure to meet you." he said, holding his hand out to me. His voice was a bit cold, which was rather unlike him from what I remembered. When I knew him at Sweet Amoris High, he was always kind and warmhearted – especially to me – but now, looking into his distant eyes and fake smile, I could swear he was an entirely different person. "N-Nice to meet you too..." I nervously replied as I shook his hand. After all this time, he didn't look too happy to see me again. I wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but I didn't have a good feeling about it. Just then, the bell rang, and students were emptying the hallways as classes were starting.

"Well," Chris said, "I'm glad I got to introduce you guys, but we gotta go now. I'll catch you later." Then he left, leaving me and Nathaniel to each other's company. I didn't really feel like standing there in the awkward silence, so I turned to leave too.

"Wait."

I turned back towards Nathaniel to see what he had to say.

"You and I both know we're not strangers. Are you really just gonna walk away?"

"Sorry, I just didn't want to make things any more awkward than they already were. I haven't seen you in a long time, and I know I didn't leave things between us in the best circumstances..."

"So you just ignore me altogether?"

"Uh..."

"Typical. You never _did_ consider my feelings."

"That's not true, but I'd really rather not bring up our past right now. Was there something you wanted?"

"Never mind. I'll see you later."

"Okay..."

And then he was gone. _What just happened?_

I didn't really know what to make of the situation, and I didn't know what to do about it. All I knew was that there was something I was forgetting that I wanted to do before all of this happened, but what was it? What was it...?

…...

 _CHRIS!_

I was trying to talk to Chris! I needed to warn him about Lysander, but...! It was too late now. Classes had already begun, and if I didn't get to mine soon, I'd be counted absent. Rushing through the hallways, I could only think of two things: get to Chris as soon as possible, and _don't_ run into Lysander. My worries plagued me all throughout the morning. I could only hope Lysander's threat was just that – a threat. Nothing more.

I searched for Chris in the cafeteria at lunch, but I still couldn't find him. At this point, I was really worried. I didn't really feel like talking to anyone about it though, so I sat by myself today. I tried not to drive myself too crazy; we did have a class together later, after all. Surely I'd see him then. So, I took a deep breath and calmly ate my lunch. Eventually, physics rolled around. Jasmine was there. Chris was not. _Really?!_ I thought to myself as I took my seat. I was starting to panic now. Chris was never late to class, so where could he be? I didn't know what to do, so I decided to try to relax and chat with Jasmine until class started; it was all I could do to keep myself from completely freaking out.

"Class, may I have your attention please?" the teacher called to us. "We have a new student here with us today. He would like to introduce himself, so please be respectful and listen to him."

"Thank you, sir. My name is Lysander. Lysander Darling. I look forward to sharing a class with you." He was looking straight at me with that devious smirk on his face.

 _Oh god, please no...wait...his last name is Darling? ...What?_ Now _that_ ...that I had no words for.

"Very well, Lysander. Since you're a late addition to this class, I'll need some time to sort out which group you'll be joining. In the meantime, I see that group in the back is missing someone, so you can go ahead and join them for today."

 _Whyyyy?_

"Sounds perfect. Thank you." Lysander walked over to our lab station and sat down in Chris's seat. "What's the matter, Darling? You look rather pale..."

"I'm fine!" I snapped at him. "But what was that? Your last name is Darling?"

"Yes, well...I was hoping for it be a surprise, for when we got married. It would be rather amusing to call you 'Darling Darling.' Surely you see the humor in it."

 _Darling...DARLING? That's terrible! ...but hilarious...but terrible! I hate you and love you so much right now!_

"That's...clever. I guess." I muttered and looked away. From the corner of my eye, I saw Lysander smile at me and then look over at Jasmine.

"Oh, my apologies. How rude of me to ignore you like this. I don't believe we've met, but allow me to introduce myself personally. My name is Lysander. May I ask your name, dear?"

"Hi, my name's Jasmine" she said kindly, as the two of them shook hands. "Nice to meet ya."

Lysander smiled. "You as well."

Just then, the teacher began his lecture and class had officially started. Jasmine and I started on our work as usual, but Lysander was rather confused, so we spent the majority of our class time explaining the assignment to him. After a while, he got it just fine, which I had to admit was impressive since he had just started today. Nevertheless, I couldn't let him distract me from my mission (and yes, mission...is that too much?). This seemingly harmless young man sitting before me was, in reality, a serious threat to the one who was supposed to be here. So why wasn't he here?

 _Lysander...what did you do?_

Before long, class was over, and I made sure I was the first one out the door. At this point, I wasn't even trying to stay calm. I didn't even go to my next class. My only concern now was Chris. Even if I was overreacting, I had to know for sure he was okay, so I made my way into the sea of students pouring into the hallway and frantically searched for him. However, no matter where or how hard I looked, I _still_ couldn't find him. As the last students disappeared into their next classrooms, I fell against the lockers and slid to the floor in defeat. Chris was nowhere to be found, and at this rate, I was never going to find him. I was ready to give up entirely when I heard someone coming down the hall.

"Chris?!" I exclaimed as I turned to look at who it was.

"...No. It's rude to call someone by the wrong name, you know."

"Oh! Sorry, Nathaniel..." I looked up to see an unhappy face glaring at me.

"Fine. And for your information, Chris and I were just in the student council room. The principal wanted to meet with us about something this morning. It was only supposed to be for a few minutes, but it seems she forgot the concept of time. As a result, we never got lunch, but I'm just grateful I'm finally out that room."

"Grateful to be out of the student council room? You? Naaaaah." I said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. Instead I only made him more upset.

"That's not funny. Why don't you try talking with the principal for two hours and see how you like it?"

"Wow...sorry. What was your meeting about anyway?"

"It doesn't matter. Well, I would love to stay here and chat the whole day away with you, but I have more important matters to attend to. I'm sure you do too." He started walking away. "Oh, and from now on, please look before you speak. Not everyone is who you're expecting." And with that, he left.

 _Wow...when did Nathaniel become such a jerk?_

Nathaniel's attitude bothered me a little; he was never like that before. Still, it was a great relief to know that my worries were for nothing and that Chris was safe and sound after all. I couldn't wait to see him later, but I did have classes to go to, and that would be a lot easier now that my mind was at peace. I was given a tardy slip and a lecture for being late, of course, but that didn't bother me. I just focused on the class activities and didn't care much about anything else. Finally, after the last class had ended, I saw Chris in the hallway.

"Chris!" I shouted as I ran up to him, full of excitement.

"Julia!" He shouted back.

"Hey, I've been looking for you all day! Nathaniel told me you guys had a meeting."

He looked away for a second. "Oh...yeah, that was brutal. I thought she'd never stop talking. I swear, some women are really annoying..."

I glared at him.

"I said some! I know you don't follow that "Chatty Kathy" stereotype, and I'm really glad you don't. In fact, you don't usually talk much at all. Usually I'm the one who does the talking."

"That's right. If anything, you're a Talky Tommy!"

He just laughed. "Haha, I guess you're right...oh, hey! Weren't you gonna tell me somethin' earlier? I totally forgot; I'm so sorry!"

"Oh yeah, that's right!" To be honest, I was so happy to be talking with Chris that I had completely forgotten why I wanted to in the first place. "I need to tell you to watch out for Lysander."

"...That...weird guy from yesterday? Why?"

"Because 'weird' is an understatement, that's why! He won't show it at first, but he's really dangerous! He came to my apartment last night and told me that if he saw us together in a certain way, you'd be in serious danger."

"Wait, he went to your apartment? And what do you mean danger?"

"I don't know! He just said that if he saw me with you again in a way that he didn't like, that I 'wouldn't have my "friend" for much longer.'"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I have no idea; that's why I had to warn you. It was all I could think about."

"Well if he's that serious, then what am I supposed to do? I can't report something I didn't hear myself! And even if I did, it's all just hear-say! What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to be careful, and always keep an eye out for him. You never know when he's going to show up; he has a way of sneaking up on people."

"Oh, great. That's great. I'm _so_ glad."

"I know...I'm really sorry about all this."

"It's not your fault. He's crazy."

"I know, but I'm the reason he's here. At the very least, I'm gonna try not to provoke him any further, and hopefully keep you guys apart."

"So what does that mean? We can't be friends anymore?"

"Of course we can. As long as it's just that."

"But isn't that already what we were...?"

"Yeah, but I mean like...no touching. Like no high-fives or pats on the back, or anything silly like yesterday. As long as we refrain from that, we should be fine."

"But that's ridiculous! Why should we have to stop doing any of those things because a new guy says so?"

"Because! Because god knows what he will do if we don't?!" I sighed. "Look, it will only be for a little while, alright? Just until I can calm him down or figure out how to get rid of him."

Chris shook his head. "This is insane. I can't believe you're going to put up with this guy."

"I said just for a little while. Everything's gonna be okay, I promise."

"Not while he's here. I don't even know the guy, but from what you're telling me, I'm scared to death of him, and I'm even more scared for you."

"I'll be fine. I know how his mind works, and I know what he's after. I'll figure out what to do, so please don't worry about me. Worry about you. Stay safe...please..."

"What good is it to keep myself safe if you're in danger? No, I'm going to help you. Demented guys like him always slip up eventually, and when he does, I'll be more than happy to put him away. On that note, I got work to do. I'll see you later."

Chris walked off, leaving me to myself. I thought so, anyway...

"'Put me away? Get rid of me?'" I heard a voice from right behind me. I didn't dare turn around, not that I had to, since he stepped in front of me anyway. "You make me sound as if I'm some kind of monster, Darling."

"T-That's not what I said..."

"Oh please, spare me. 'Be careful? Stay safe...?' It's not like I was planning on murdering him, you know. Or maybe I was! 'Only god knows what I will do,' after all."

"I didn't–!"

"And apparently, I sneak up on people...? Well, I suppose I do follow you a bit more than I should, but only because you never listen. You're always with the exact person I tell you to stay away from, and once again, I was right. Do you know how disappointing that is for me? Don't you think I wish I could trust you?"

"So...so now what, huh? What are you gonna do, Lysander?"

"Out of the kindness of my heart, I'm going to let you off with one more warning. And by all means, let me be clear this time: if I ever catch you flirting or conspiring against me with him again, I will make sure he receives a punishment he will never forget. You don't want that for him, do you, Darling?"

"N-No...of course not..." I barely choked out. I was so scared I couldn't speak. I didn't know exactly what he was threatening, but if it wasn't murder, it was the next worst thing, and I really didn't want to find out what. Why? Why did he have to be so cruel? I just couldn't understand...

"Then maybe this time, you'll finally hear me. Don't. Get. Close. To him. Understand?"

I nodded but could still say no words, and I couldn't bring myself to look at him; it was just too much. Not a second later, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him.

"I'm sorry, my Darling, but please remember I'm only doing this for us. Too much has gotten between us in the past, and I refuse to let anything or anyone keep us apart again. I never know who might take you away from me at any given moment, and it worries me to death. You remember what happened last time, don't you?"

"Yes..." I mumbled softly as I leaned into his chest. For as much as I resented Lysander's violence, I sympathized with his sensitive side. And last time? How could I forget? Three boys, three hearts, and I broke them all. I even broke my own in the process. What I did to them – to us – was terrible; that's why I left in the first place. But what good did that do, now that two of them were already here? The pain they must feel when they look at me...

 _I'm so sorry._

So there I stayed, in Lysander's arms, until he let go and escorted me home. We said our goodbyes there and went our separate ways for the evening. After making myself something to eat, I did my best to finish my homework quickly and went to bed immediately thereafter. My thoughts echoed around in my head. First Lysander, now Nathaniel? Lysander was his usual obsessive self, so no surprises there, but Nathaniel was cold and mean. And Chris...did I just put him in danger by telling him he was in danger? What was going on? My old life...my new life...it was like they were merging together into a life I no longer recognized. What was I to do in a situation like this? How far would this go? I felt completely helpless as I drifted off into an uncomfortable sleep. I just...couldn't think about this anymore.


	4. And They Were Right

A few weeks had gone by, none of which were easy. After what Lysander said, I didn't want to risk talking to Chris, so I stayed away as best as I could every day until we would inevitably meet in physics. Even then, I kept our conversations casual and to a minimum, especially since Lysander ended up joining the group right behind us. He'd been so irritable lately, I didn't know what would set him off, so I decided to spend more time with him like he wanted. Hopefully I could bring out more of that gentle side I knew he had in him somewhere. I _had_ to...Chris's fate depended on it. In the meantime, I tried to keep living my life as normal. I went to school, sat with my friends at lunch (save Chris, of course...), and went home, where I would do my homework and then relax for a while until it was time for bed. The only difference now was that I was accompanied by Lysander to and from school, and he always made sure to call me to say goodnight. While I hated his threats towards Chris, I had to admit the company was nice. But I had to stop thinking that way. It was just...wrong.

Caught up in a battle between my heart and mind, I stumbled through the school hallways, trying as hard as I could to reach my locker. Thankfully I did, just in time. I grabbed my books and hurried into my classroom right as the starting bell rang out, and sat in my usual seat. I opened my backpack to get out my notebooks and things for the lecture, though I had no intention of listening to any of it. There was no way I could get any work done with my mind as it was. All I could do was stare at the whiteboard and try to process my situation.

"Hey," one of the students said as he came up to me. "That's my seat."

"What?" I replied, confused. "No, this is my seat. I always sit here."

"I don't think so. I always sit there. I don't even know who you are."

"Well yeah, but–" And then I noticed...the teacher standing at the whiteboard wasn't my teacher.

 _Oh no!_

"Mr. Clark!" the student called out. "There's a random girl in my seat, and she won't leave!"

Then the teacher turned back and looked at me for a moment. "I'm sorry, young lady, but I don't believe I've seen you before. Are you sure you're in the right class?"

I looked at him for a moment, and then at the rest of the students in the classroom, only to realize I didn't recognize any of them. "Oh...um...actually...I'm sorry! My mistake!" I exclaimed as I gathered my belongings and rushed out of the room. I looked around the hallway, trying to figure out where I was. As it turned out, I had entered the classroom _next_ to mine.

 _Oh god. Why did I have to do that? Why...?_ On top of everything else I was feeling, I was now quite a bit embarrassed too. Great.

I snuck into my own classroom as discretely as I could, so as not to alert anyone, and sat down at my desk; thankfully this one was actually mine. Once again, I got out my notebooks and things, and stared blankly at the board. Hopefully through all this madness, I could retain something...anything. Still, like I said, Algebra II was not the best thing to have first thing in the morning – far from it. Once class was over and I had packed my head and notes with as many equations as I could, I quickly put everything back in my bag and tried my best to escape from the room, lest I got in trouble. Alas, 'twas not meant to be.

"Just a moment, Miss Chama."

 _Uh-oh..._ I turned around. "Y-Yes, ma'am?"

"You were late to class today. I hope you didn't think I wouldn't notice you sneaking into my class earlier."

"W-Well...I mean...I dunno..."

"Well, whatever the case, I'd better not see more of this behavior from you."

"Oh, you wo–"

"I mean it. I hope you learn from this, young lady."

"I-I will! Thank you!" _What's with the "young lady" treatment today?_

"You're welcome. Now go, get to your next class, before this happens again."

"Okay, see you tomorrow!"

Thankfully, I was able to reach my next class on time, but I was still really rattled about what had just happened. How could I be late? I was _never_ late. Of course, I knew why...and there was nothing I could really do about that. What I _could_ do was try and figure out what was going on with Nathaniel. He had this...distant, dark attitude now, and I wanted to know why. Unfortunately, that would have to wait; there was this thing called "school" and I kinda had to attend it at the moment. Afterwards though...I had no other plans, so I could think about it later. Until then, I carried on with my day as usual. I sat through the usual first few classes, only to find out that I was assigned an essay in history _and_ English. For history, we were supposed to describe the events the Columbian Exchange and how it signified the beginning of the New World. The English essay was supposed to be a research paper about any topic of our choosing, but it had to be at least 3 pages long, single-spaced.

 _Kill me..._

They weren't due for quite some time, so I didn't have to worry about them yet. Still, I had a lot of research to do, and I knew this nagging feeling I now had wouldn't stop until I did. At the same time, I didn't wanna do it just yet; after all, researching anything enough to write detailed essays is a lot of work, and I already had enough on my plate as it was. For the time being, I decided to bring some of my notes with me to lunch so I could review what we learned in class over the past few weeks. I thought that would at least give me an idea of where to start to write a clear, proper essay. Unsurprisingly, my mini-study session captured too much of my attention, and I almost didn't notice the last of the students clearing out of the cafeteria. I quickly cleaned up my area and rushed out with them. I couldn't believe I was gonna let my nonexistent attention span make me late for class again! To my relief, I did get there in time, but I really had to stop doing that today.

At least I could relax a little in floral design. All we were doing was studying flowers, after all. I'd never been a huge fan of art classes because I was never good with my hands, but with everything else getting more difficult, I thought that maybe working with flowers wouldn't be so bad. Learning about flora sounded a lot more interesting than learning about wars or old Shakespearean plays, and this class was all about it! _Why couldn't I have done an essay about this instead?_ I thought to myself as I carefully studied the flowers Mrs. Hana had put on my desk.

"Okay, class!" Mrs. Hana exclaimed. "We've been looking at many different types of flowers for a little while now, and I hope you know a fair amount about them by now, because next week, we're going to start making them into beautiful bouquets!"

The class murmured a bit, with different reactions. Some students were excited about this new activity, while others were dreading it. As for me, I was kind of neutral. I knew I was a very clumsy person and that things would only end badly, but still...it was better than everything else at the moment. Arranging flowers sounded a little difficult, but also relaxing and maybe even a little fun. At the very least, it would make a nice distraction from everything else that was going on at the moment. I was even starting to smile thinking about it.

"Oh, look at the time! The bell should be ringing any second now. You all did a very good job today, and I'll be looking forward to seeing your work on the bouquets next week. Well then, class dismissed!"

My smile immediately dropped again, right when I was starting to enjoy something too. I knew full well what class was next, and I wasn't looking forward to it one bit.

"Well..." I sighed to myself. "I guess it's time for the class I _don't_ like." And with that, I picked up my things and made my way to physics.

It didn't take me long to get there, since my next class was located nearby, but I wish I could've had more time to myself before I had to deal with it. Nevertheless, I quietly walked into the classroom and sat down at my lab table. I just stared at it, not bothering to look at anything or anyone.

"Hey...are you okay?" A friendly voice whispered over to me, concerned.

"Yeah...I'm okay."

"Are you sure? You don't look okay."

"Hey, I've told you before and I'll tell you again – I'm fine, I promise. Thanks, Chris."

Chris looked at me in disbelief and slouched back in his chair. I knew he wouldn't believe me, and I hated lying to him, but it's not like I could just unleash all of my troubles onto him right now, what with Lysander sitting nearly back-to-back with me. He needed more time to process my relationship with Chris, and I needed more time to convince him that Chris was not a threat to the little "relationship" of our own. I knew I had to stand up to him eventually, but first I had to kill him with kindness. Maybe then he'd realize that Chris and I were only friends. I mean, that's all we were...right? Just...really good friends...that's all. Lysander was ridiculous to assume we were anything more. Still, it was awkward having to communicate with my really-good-friend-on-hold without really communicating with him. This new "professional" relationship was so stiff and robotic, as if we were complete strangers who simply had the common goal of getting through physics alive. It wasn't natural, and it didn't feel right. Nothing about this was right, and Chris and I both knew that if things were bad now, they could only get worse. The longer we went on this way, the stronger the wedge between us would get. But I couldn't think about that right now. This was partially my fault, and I was going to fix it; I owed him that much. I refused to let Lysander ruin our friendship this way.

Once that nightmare of a class was over, I could finally relax again, although I felt that someone was missing...

 _Oh! Jasmine wasn't here today! I wonder what happened to her?_

I was curious now, but I knew I would have to ask her later. It might seem a bit strange, but my walks through the hallway (as rushed as they usually were) tended to calm me down. They gave me the space I needed most of the time, which gave me some time to think. Of course, none of the thoughts I had at the moment were any good, but at least I could drown out the voices around me. This ability was my gift and my curse, but right now, it was helping more than anything. The last two classes I had left were nothing special, but nothing too intense either, which I was more than thankful for. I had a lot of fun singing with my classmates in choir, and my gym teacher – err...coach, I guess – had us all play dodgeball today, which was very tiring, but still kinda fun. I made sure to ask Jasmine why she wasn't in physics today, but all she could tell me was that something was wrong with her schedule, so she had to transfer to a different physics class. I was sad, but I understood the situation.

By the time my last class ended, I was exhausted and very much looking forward to going home. I was walking through the halls on my way towards the exit and had barely passed the principal's office when I heard something peculiar. Out of curiosity, I stopped and turned around. I noticed immediately that whoever went in there last had forgotten to close the door all the way, and even though it was just the tiniest bit open, I could hear everything they were saying.

"...concerning the upcoming election."

"Yes, ma'am?"

It sounded like the principal, Chris, and a few other students were discussing the student body presidential election, as usual. Nothing odd about that.

"I realize this is a little unusual, given that the candidates were already nominated for this year, but it appears we have a new student joining our election."

 _What? Really?_ Now that _was_ a bit strange. Usually once the nominations were over, no one was able to enter the ballot. How did someone get in now?

"This young man only just recently arrived at our school, yet he readily volunteered at the opportunity with much enthusiasm."

 _Wait...could he really mean...?_

"So, without further ado, I give you your new candidate for student body president, Nathaniel Thorne."

I knew it. I thought I heard his voice earlier in the conversation, and this confirmed it.

"Thank you, ma'am."

I wasn't so surprised to find out Nathaniel wanted to be the student body president, since from what I could tell back at Sweet Amoris High, he seemed to live and breathe that role. He was very responsible and good at his job too, and I would've gladly rooted for him, but not before Chris. Chris worked very hard just to get nominated, so as his best friend, I was going to support him above anybody else. But anyway, I figured I probably shouldn't be there for too long or someone might find me. Besides, I really did want to go home, so I backed away from the door before anyone left the room and headed towards the exit again.

"Had enough eavesdropping for one day, Darling? You know spying is _my_ specialty."

I looked up to see a very smug Lysander with a somewhat-annoying smirk on his face.

"I wasn't eavesdropping...and I really don't think you should be proud of that!"

Lysander chuckled a bit. "Oh, c'mon now, it was only a joke." I stared at him.

 _Was it though? Was it really?_

"Please don't look at me that way." he said, the expression disappearing from his face. "I'm not that kind of man anymore."

"We'll see..." I replied and looked away. There was no way I was going to believe that. He was _exactly_ that kind of man.

"I can prove it to you. Please, allow me to walk you home. I know it may take some time, but...even if it takes the rest of my life, I will show you that I've changed."

"Like I said, we'll see," I said, looking back at him, "but I guess that's a start."

He smiled and took my hand, and we exited the school together.

"So," he said as we made our way towards my apartment building, "how was your day, Darling?"

"Fine." I replied hesitantly. "Same as always, I guess. How 'bout you?"

"Good enough, I suppose...although school's never really the most fun thing to do." 

"Yeah." I chuckled. "It's really not." We both fell silent after that, but it didn't take long before it got awkward. Somehow the silence killed me more than it did to talk to him, so I gathered up my courage and tried again to continue our conversation. "Um...do you have a favorite class though? I can't really decide between floral design and choir–" I immediately stopped myself from saying any more, but it was too late. Lysander was already grinning at me.

 _Why? Why did I have to say THAT?_

"Oh, you're taking choir? I didn't know you liked to sing."

"I...uh...nevermind! Forget I said anything."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, my dear. You just told me everything I needed to know."

 _Agh, me and my big mouth! I can't believe I forgot he was a singer!_ .

"We should sing together sometime."

"Uh...I don't think so."

"Actually, we should perform together sometime. I would love to sing on-stage with you."

"I REALLY don't think so."

"Oh! You know what? I think I'll write a song for us to sing at the school talent show this year."

"Stop getting ideas!"

"What? I think it's a great idea."

"Do I not get a say in this...?"

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. There's nothing to be nervous about."

"That's not really what I meant..."

He clearly wasn't listening, but it didn't really matter anyway. We'd finally reached my apartment at that point, and I was more than happy to be home. Lysander might have been off in his own little world, but for once, I wasn't. I headed straight for my door as soon as I saw it and unlocked it as fast as I could. I opened the door, and–

"Hey...wait." Lysander took my arm and gently pulled me towards him. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Not that I know of..." I replied somewhat-harshly, making sure he knew he still wasn't welcome, but I couldn't forget my manners either. "Oh...well, I guess I should thank you for walking me home. So...thanks."

He sighed, "You know that's not what I meant," and pulled me closer to him until we were locked in a warm embrace. I said nothing as I stood there in his arms – just listened to the soft, gentle sound of his heartbeat. For whatever reason, even though I knew what kind of person he was, being with him like this always calmed me. It was my biggest weakness, and I think he knew that too. After a few moments, Lysander pulled away from me, gave me a quick kiss goodbye, and left. I wanted to go inside, I really did, but...I couldn't move. It was as if my heart took control of my body, in spite of my mind, because it wanted nothing more in that moment than to stand there and watch him leave. It was sickening, knowing what I really wanted and what I had to do. And yet...

I didn't want him to go.


	5. Girls' Day Out

At last, it was finally the weekend, and I couldn't wait to spend the day at home all by myself. Or maybe I would go over to Jasmine's place, who knows? Either way, I didn't have to go to school and that was just fine by me. That was the last place I wanted to be right now, for obvious reasons, and hopefully, no one I knew there would come bother me here either.

*BANG BANG BANG*

"Yo, Julia! It's Lucy! Open up!"

Of course, such luck was never dying to fall in my hands. _Can no one knock on my door like a normal person?_ I sighed and got up from the couch.

"Hey Lucy..." I said as I opened the door, happy to see my friend but slightly disappointed at the situation, since Lucy was never a "stay in and relax" kind of girl. "What's up?"

"What's up? Girl! Did you forget what we talked about not that long ago?"

"Um..." I hated to admit it, but I actually did kind of forget. So much had happened lately, it was hard to remember the last time I even _talked_ to her, let alone what we talked about.

"No way, you have GOT to be kidding me! Don't tell me you forgot our girls' day out!"

"Girls' day out...?" Come to think of it, I did remember her saying something about a "shopping day" or something along those lines...one that I "couldn't get out of," was it? I knew there was something nagging at me, and all this time I thought I was imagining it. Nope.

"Yeah, and it's completely mandatory, so let's GO!" She exclaimed, practically pulling me out the door. "Okay, okay, just gimme a minute!" I shouted back, ripping my wrist out of her hand. "I gotta get a few things first!"

"Okay, but don't take too long! The mall won't be open forever!"

"Lucy, it's one in the afternoon; the mall will be open longer than whatever sugar rush you're on right now!"

It only took me about a minute to get ready, but Lucy acted like it took an hour. Whatever the case, we left my apartment and were on our way outside when I thought of something. "Hey...do you mind if I bring a friend too?" Lucy's face immediately lit up in excitement. "A friend? No, I don't mind! Bring all the friends you want; the more the merrier!"

"Really? Thank you!" I was a little surprised at Lucy's response, considering how badly she wanted to get going. But hey, if she was okay with it then I was happy. "She lives this way; c'mon!" I ran ahead of Lucy to the stairwell door and went inside. Lucy yelled at me to wait for her, but I was already halfway up the first flight of stairs by the time she even got to the door. The two of us climbed up to the next floor and burst through the hallway, Lucy trailing slightly behind, as she wasn't exactly sure where we were going – but I did. I kept running until I saw the apartment number 444 and came to a dead stop. I knocked on the door as Lucy skid to a stop behind me. It was a good thing we didn't bump into each other and fall over, because it didn't take long for someone to open the door.

"Oh...hey! How's it going?"

"Hey Jasmine, how are ya?"

"Goooood...but wait, who's that?"

"Oh, yeah! I'm sorry. Jasmine, this is Lucy. Lucy, Jasmine." The two of them said hello and shook hands. "So Lucy and I are going to the mall and...uh...wherever else she had planned today, so...do you wanna come with us?"

Jasmine glanced at Lucy, who was wearing the biggest smile you could possibly imagine, and hesitated for a moment. "Um...I dunno, dude..."

I was happy and all that Lucy seemed more cheerful today, but some part of me decided that maybe she was a bit TOO cheerful. I knew that if I was going to go anywhere with her when she was this excited, I was going to need backup, so I tried asking again. "Please, bro? It'll be really fun, I promise."

"Um..."

"Look dude, if I gotta do this, so do you. C'mon, please?"

"Well...okay, yeah, sure. I'll be right back!"

"Thank you so much, minion! I 'ppreciate it!" I shouted to her as she left to go get ready.

Lucy gave me a strange look. "Minion?"

I looked back at her. "Yeah, minion. Jasminion. I called her that for fun one day, and I guess I kinda just stuck with it."

"Ohhh, I see. Cute! Minion it is!"

"Yeah..." _Oh boy...I'm not sure that Jasmine would want other people calling her that..._

"Okay, I'm ready to go." Jasmine said as she walked out into the hallway and closed the door behind her. "Great!" Lucy exclaimed. "Let's go! ….Unless there was someone else you wanted to bring." I shook my head. "Nope, just Jasmine. Let's go."

It didn't take us very long to get to the mall, since the apartment building was in the area. Once we got there, Lucy ran off to check out all the different clothing stores and jewelry shops. Jasmine and I basically had to sprint to keep up with her. Even when we made it to the stores, Lucy grabbed ten or twelve things from each shelf while Jasmine looked around a little more modestly, and I just followed them around, watching it all happen. Lucy thought everything was cute and asked for my opinion on every single thing she picked out. It wasn't that I disagreed with her on most of it, but I knew there was no way she'd be able to afford any of it – especially now that she doesn't have a boyfriend to ask for money. I pretty much spent the entire time telling Lucy what she could and could not buy, as if I were her mother or something, and helping Jasmine decide her color and style priorities. I'm not really into shopping myself, so I didn't mind it much at all. Honestly, I would've done anything to get out of there sooner. Even if I wanted to buy something, there was no way I could've afforded anything more than a pair of sunglasses, and I really did wanna go home and relax...

"Hey..." Lucy said, finally looking up from the wares. "are you guys hungry? My stomach's starting to growl a little..." That must've been the best thing I'd heard all day. I _was_ hungry, and had been for the past few hours, but I didn't say anything until now because I didn't want to ruin everyone else's fun. "Yeah, I am. Why?" Jasmine spoke up too. "Kinda. Is there a food court around here somewhere?"

"Yeah, there is." Lucy replied. "It's actually not that far from here. C'mon, let's go get something to eat." Jasmine and I agreed. As lame as it was, the food court was the most exciting part of the mall to me. I didn't much like shopping, but I could go for food any day, especially if I got to go with my best friends. I was so happy, I could feel myself smiling. I couldn't wait to finally sit down and take a break from all of this. Once everyone had gotten their food, we all sat at a nearby table and began a nice, friendly conversation – one that would perhaps get a little too personal a little too fast. Of course, Lucy spoke first.

"So, what do you guys wanna do tomorrow? I was thinking we should all go to the movies or something!"

"Sorry, Lucy," I said to her. "I kinda just wanna stay home tomorrow. Maybe Jasmine would wanna go with you though."

"I don't know, dude, I don't really know her that well...plus I still have homework to do."

I glared at her. "...How much homework, Jasmine?" She looked away, hesitant to answer. "...All of it." I chuckled and shook my head. "God dammit, Jasmine, what did I tell you about that?" She smiled slowly, signs of guilt painted all over her face. "What do you mean?"

"Preeeetty sure I told you to stop that, bro."

"What are you talking about? You did no such thing."

"Yes, I did!"

"Neh."

"But I did tho!"

"But you didn't tho."

"Minion!"

"Julie."

She and I stared at each other for a minute, but before long, the two of us burst out laughing. Every so often we would have a conversation like this, and every time, we laughed ourselves to tears. We'd done this so many times, we couldn't help ourselves anymore.

"You guys are weird." Lucy remarked, taking another bite of her food. "But I get it, Jasmine. I can't stand school, and the homework is even worse. I just wish my parents wouldn't ground me every time my homework is overdue."

"Oh, no, I don't really 'hate' school, it's that homework isn't really a priority for me. Also, sometimes I forget it exists."

"I hear that! If my parents weren't so stuck on getting me into a good college, I'd throw out the homework and forget about school altogether."

I just sat there and listened to them both, not really sure of what to say as they went on and on about how unimportant school was and how easy it was to forget about it. Forgetting I had homework to do was something I _might_ have done, but purposefully not doing homework for the sake of not doing it? Now that, I could never understand. Homework was my first priority, always; I wouldn't have it any other way. My nagging mind wouldn't let me have it any other way.

"Ugh, but let's stop talking about school and parents and boring stuff like that," Lucy groaned. "Oh, I know! Let's talk about boys instead! You go first, Julia!"

"Uh...I dunno...I don't really know anyone..."

"Oh, that is so not true! What about that one guy you were always hanging out with? What was his name again...? Chris, wasn't it?"

"Oh yeah. Chris..."

"What's up with you guys anyway? I don't see you together as much anymore. Did something happen?"

"I'd really rather not talk about it..."

She gasped. "Did you guys break up?"

"We were never 'together,' Lucy."

"Oh, but come to think of it, what about that weird new guy? The one with all the old-fashioned clothes. I've seen him hanging around you a few times now. What's going on there?"

"I'd REALLY rather not talk about him."

"Who is he? Is he your new 'special friend'~?"

"Drop it, Lucy!" I roared at her. The table was overcome with a silence to end all silences. I didn't mean to snap at my friend like that, but I wasn't nearly ready to talk about any of this. Not now. Luckily for my sanity and the sake of our conversation though, the silence didn't last for long.

"Okay, okay, fine. Geez, what's gotten into you? Usually you love talking about our love lives."

"Well...not this time, okay? I'm sorry, but things are kind of complicated right now. Please, just leave it alone..."

"Okay...well what about you, Jasmine? Do you have anyone in mind?"

"Nah, not really. I'm more focused on Pokémon right now."

"Awww, really? Not even one boy? Or girl! I don't mean to make any assumptions."

"Nah, dude. EEVEE IS MY BAE."

"Uh...okay. Yeah, okay. Sure. I totally get that. ...I think."

"Yeah, Jasmine's not really into the whole 'dating' thing," I explained to Lucy. "She's never been interested in anyone for the entire year I've known her, at least not anyone around here. I'm beginning to think she might only be into Eskimos." This time, both Jasmine and Lucy burst into laughter. It seemed the idea of an Eskimo-only attraction wasn't only funny to _me_ , and I was freaking ecstatic. "What about you though, Lucy?" I continued, once we regained control of ourselves. "Have you been seeing anyone new since...you know...?"

"No," she sighed. "I haven't found anyone else yet. But that's fine! I'll find someone soon enough. Just looking around this mall is giving me some ideas..."

"Oh...really...?"

 _Please, Lucy...for once in your life, think about it first before you act on any of your "ideas"..._

Before I could pull myself away from my thoughts, and say something to Lucy, she suddenly shrieked.

"Aaaaaah, nooooo! No no no no no no nooooo!"

"Lucy! What's wrong?!" I tried to talk to her, but she was already in tears, unable to say anything at all. So, I looked in the direction she was facing, and there I saw them. Her now ex-boyfriend was there with some tall, gorgeous blonde you'd swear only existed in fantasies and should NEVER exist in places like this, where no other girl could possibly compete with her; that basic blonde bitch who everyone fawns over for no reason other than their looks. You know the one.

"Lucy...I'm so, so sorry..." I tried to sympathize with her, but she wasn't having it. She immediately picked her head up off the table and slammed her hands down onto it.

"NO! You know what? I'm not gonna take this! I'm gonna go over there and give them a piece of my mind!"

"What?! No, that's crazy!" I yelled after her as she stormed off. I tried my best to stop her, but she still managed to shove me out of her way and stomp over to them furiously.

"You jerk! How could you forget our Month-iversary and then dump me for this bitch?! I can't believe I ever trusted you! And…..!"

I decided to go back to our table and wait this out. I glanced over at them every so often, to find Lucy's expression even angrier than before, and then back at Jasmine, who was blissfully unaware of the whole thing, completely enveloped in her Pokémon game. I waited there for a few minutes, staring off into space, as usual, until eventually, I was finally ready to give up and go home. I had just gotten up from my chair when Lucy came back crying and flopped over onto the table again.

"AAAAGH, I HATE HIM! I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I HATE him!"

"Lucy, I'm really, really sorry, but it's gonna be okay – I promise. There will be better days."

"NO THERE WON'T!"

"Yes, there will." I refuted, gently tugging her arm. "Now come on, let's go home. We've been here long enough for one day, and you'll feel a lot better tomorrow."

"O-Okay."

Wanting desperately to get out of that mall and away from all that drama, I had Lucy and Jasmine follow me towards the exit, looking back occasionally to make sure they were still behind me. Once we were outside, everything seemed much better. The air was much clearer, the sun was nice and warm, and the silence compared to the deafening crowds inside was just heaven. Now that kind of silence, I couldn't get enough of. The walk back to our apartment building was also quiet – that is, until somewhere along the way, all I heard was

"Oh my god! PET STORE!"

I turned around just quickly enough to see Jasmine throw the door open and fly in. I couldn't very well just leave Jasmine behind – she might get lost on her way home – and Lucy and I wanted to see the animals too, so we went in after her. And as soon as we did,

"Awwwwww, look at all the puppies and kitties!" Lucy cried as she ran over to the wall of animal enclosures. "They're so cute!"

"Yeah, they really are, aren't they?" I replied, smiling to myself. I loved animals, even if not to the degree the other girls did. Looking at all the babies made me relax a little and forget my problems for the time being. They were all so little! And, I was glad that Lucy seemed to be feeling better too. Out of everywhere we could've stumbled upon today, this had to be the best place to take her mind off of her broken heart. The three of us looked around at all the innocent faces the shop had to offer. It was really difficult not to pick one out and take it home with me, but then, it probably would've been even harder to choose just one.

"I love them all..." Jasmine murmured after a few minutes, looking through the glass at some of the kittens. "But I hate that people come _here_ to buy their pets instead of going to an animal shelter, where they NEED to be loved!"

"Jasmine..." I sighed. "You were the one who came running in here like it was the best thing you saw all day!"

"It was!" She argued back. "I admire all animals, but that doesn't mean I'd actually buy one from these horrible places! ADOPT, DON'T SHOP!"

"Yeah, well...you might not wanna shout things like that when the shopkeeper is literally ten feet behind you." I looked behind her to see the shopkeeper give us a suspicious glare before looking away quickly in the hopes that we wouldn't notice. But I did notice...and it wasn't a look I would soon forget. "Hey Jasmine, maybe we really should get going now."

"What?!" Lucy abruptly interrupted. "But we just got here! Don't take me away from all these adorable puppies yet! And kitties! And bunnies! OH GOD, THE BUNNIES!"

"I know, I know!" I shouted back. "I wish we could stay longer too, but I think we might've outworn our welcome, thanks to a certain someone..."

"You're welcome." Jasmine said, maybe a little too proud of herself. Lucy shot her an annoyed look while I giggled to myself. It took a lot of convincing and a promise to come back again sometime, but eventually, Jasmine and I managed to drag Lucy out of the store. At least the walk home was a little more bearable than before. Sure, it got kinda late, and sure, it got kinda cold out, but at least we were able to talk to each other again – all three of us. While Jasmine and I talked about our favorite video games and music, and how much fun we ended up having that day, all Lucy could talk about was the pet shop. Of course, I couldn't blame her for avoiding talking about the mall, but she went on and on about all the furry little creatures she wanted to adopt. Jasmine suggested taking her to an animal shelter, but Lucy refused, stating that she already had a select few dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, hamsters, goldfish, etc. picked out for her to take home someday. I wanted to tell her that our apartment building only allowed three pets per resident, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Lucy was finally having fun again with something, and I didn't wanna be the guy to ruin it. Unfortunately, however, the nice conversation we were having didn't last too long. Before we knew it, we were already home. We rode up on the elevator together to our respective floors, where we would inevitably part ways. Mine was up first, since I only lived on floor 3. As we approached the floor, I turned to my friends so I could say goodbye.

"So, um...my floor's coming up soon. It was really nice hanging out with you guys today. Thanks, Lucy! And thanks a lot to you too, Jasmine, for...uh...'agreeing' to come with us."

Lucy smiled brightly. "No problem! We should totally do this again sometime. In fact, we ARE gonna do this again sometime! Right, Jasmine?"

Jasmine stared into space and fell silent for a moment. "Um...okay...suuuuuure."

"Err– no, that's okay, you really don't have to go again." Seeing the look of terror on Jasmine's face, I decided that maybe it wasn't such a good idea. Unfortunately, Lucy wasn't exactly seeing the same thing. "Oh yes, she does! Again, it's completely mandatory! You just wait – both of you! We're gonna have so much fun next time! Now, off ya go!" I don't know how I didn't realize it sooner, but the elevator was on my floor and the doors were open. Lucy practically shoved me out as they closed again behind me, letting the elevator move up to the next floor. It took me a minute to get over how fast that happened and figure out how I could've zoned out that badly, but luckily, I was able to regain my senses and head on home. Finally, I could just get something to eat, sit down, play a game, and relax...except, maybe I relaxed a little too much. I guess I didn't realize how tired I'd been. Oops.


	6. When Flowers Fall

Before long, it was Monday again. In my opinion, weekends were never long enough. On the contrary, school weeks were always _too_ long. _It should be the other way around..._ , I thought to myself as I sat in my homeroom class, daydreaming about what it would be like to have a five-day weekend and two days of school every week instead. _I guess I'll actually get that in college though...well...it won't be too long now..._. Even if I had been paying attention, I doubted I would have understood everything the teacher wrote on the board. There were so many equations on there already, but that didn't stop the teacher from writing more as if her life depended on it. I'd already zoned out through about half the class, so I didn't bother taking notes on any of it. Instead, I simply decided I would try to learn it on my own later, and if that failed, well, that'd teach me to zone out in class. _Oh well...back to daydreaming, I suppose._ As I was doing so, I found myself looking around the classroom.

To my surprise, Nathaniel was sitting just a few rows over. Apparently, he had this class too. _So now I'm sharing a class with Nathaniel? Okay...this is getting a bit awkward..._. Still, maybe it was a good thing. I mean, if Nathaniel and I had a class together, it means we might get a chance to talk more. So, once class was over, I decided to stop Nathaniel before he left the room. I didn't blame him for being mad at me after everything I'd done to him, so I had reservations about trying to talk to him. Still, I didn't want this tension to last forever – I had to try. "Hi," I said to him with a smile, hoping he would be a little nicer today.

"What do you want?" He replied, as coldly as before. It was a bit disappointing, but I expected as much.

"H-How are you doing today?"

"What does it matter to you?"

"Well, its just that...I would like us to be civil again. It's obvious that we're gonna keep running into each other, so–"

Before I could finish my sentence, Nathaniel quickly pushed into the crowd of our classmates and walked away. _Well...so much for "civil"..._. As I walked through the hallways to my next class, I thought about ways to repair things with Nathaniel. However, no matter how much I struggled to think of something, nothing came to mind. I was so deep in thought about it that even though I was looking straight ahead of me, I didn't notice someone coming my way...fast. I tried to dodge, but I was too late and they bumped into me.

"Oww...why does this keep happening to me?"

"Oh, sorry! Didn't see ya there."

I looked up to see another student, probably rushing to get to his class. I immediately stood up and started to apologize for not paying attention (again), only to be interrupted with–

"No, no! It's not your fault; I was the one who was running in the halls. So what's your name?"

"Um...Julia. Nice to meet you...?"

"Julia...?" He paused for a moment. "Nah. I think I'm gonna call you Skittles."

"What? Skittles? Why Skit–"

"Oops, I'm late! Gotta run, see ya later, Skittles!"

And then he ran off. I stood there for a moment, confused at what had just happened. _What is going on with people this year?_ Whatever the case, I had forgotten what I was thinking about earlier, so I shrugged it off and continued on my way to class. For the rest of the day, I repeatedly kept remembering and forgetting about my conversation with Nathaniel. Every time I moved between classes, I would start focusing on it, but as soon as class actually started, I'd forget it all over again. I was beginning to lose hope that I would ever think of something nice to do for him. Then, during floral design, I suddenly got an idea.

 _That's it! I'll make him a nice bouquet of flowers. Everyone likes flowers, right?_

With that idea in mind, I immediately set my mind on building the perfect bouquet with as many different flowers as were available to us. Unfortunately, today wasn't a project day, so I had to gather my materials secretly while Mrs. Hana was out of the room. It took me the rest of that class (and some of the next one) to finish my gift for Nathaniel, but I knew it was going to be worth it. All I had to do now was figure out when I'd have a chance to give it to him. After all, it was nearing the end of the day, and there were hundreds of students in the school. I tried my best to look for him in the halls between each remaining class, but to no avail. Funnily enough, I did see him in P.E. too. However, he didn't join in with the rest of us. Instead, while we were running laps, he just sat on the bleachers and read a book. _Is he even allowed to do that?_ , I wondered. _Why isn't the coach getting involved?_ I was going to give him the bouquet as soon as we were done, but when I looked over again, he was gone. I assumed he had left sometime during class, which was honestly very much unlike him. But then, I knew he hadn't really been himself lately. Regardless, I was determined to give him my gift; I'd worked too hard to give up on it now. By the time I got out of the gym, the hallways were already flooded. I pushed my way through, losing hope every second I didn't see him. After searching for several minutes, I finally found him at his locker.

"Nathaniel!" I huffed, trying to catch my breath after having rushed to get there. However, he didn't say anything, just closed his locker and walked away. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" I yelled, catching up to him as quickly as I could, placing my hand on his shoulder.

"What? WHAT?!" Nathaniel snapped as he turned towards me, his face seething with anger.

"I just...wanted to give you these." I said, smiling at him before handing him the flowers.

"That's it? You wasted my time for _this_? What even is this?"

"It's a bouquet. I made it for you."

"Wait a minute," he said, clearly not listening to me, "are these daisies? I'm allergic to daisies!"

"Wha, r-really...?"

"Yes, really!" He screamed at me, slamming the bouquet onto the ground. "And if you had ever bothered to ask me anything about myself back then, you would know that! You never cared about me, so don't pretend like you care now!"

"But–"

"Go away. Just go away and leave me alone! I don't wanna talk to you, I don't even wanna SEE you, so take your death trap flowers and just...go."

"...Okay..." I replied sadly as I picked the bouquet off the ground and walked away.

As I was leaving the school, I found myself distracted again. Not only did Nathaniel not like my gift, he _hated_ it. And maybe it was my fault; how could I blindly make him a gift without considering it might actually hurt him? Who was I kidding? This was _all_ my fault. How would I reconcile with him now? Still, I was proud of the bouquet I made. I didn't want it to go to waste, so I thought I would take it home and set it in some water there. However, upon reaching the entrance of the school, I felt somebody push me from behind. Before I knew what was happening, I found myself tumbling down the stone staircase all the way to the ground. "Owwwwww!" I cried, looking down to see blood spilling from my knees and shins. I knew it had to have been Capucine who pushed me; no one else was that cruel. "My flowers!" I exclaimed, as she ruthlessly stomped on the bouquet, confirming my suspicions. I couldn't believe my eyes as I watched it fall apart with each step. I tried to get up, but the pain was too much for me to bear. "Owwwowowowow!" I yelped, kneeling further to the ground.

"Hahaha! Later, loser!" She cackled once more before walking away.

At that moment, I saw a shadow walking towards me. "Oh my god, are you okay?"

"Yup..." I muttered. "I'm fine...just fine..." I wasn't, but I had to stop relying on people to help me up when I fell. Of course, that didn't stop the white-haired girl from helping me up anyway and taking me back inside to the school nurse's office. She even waited until the nurse had finished bandaging my wounds so we could walk back out together.

"So uh...thanks for helping me."

"Oh, it's no problem!" She replied with a bright smile. "Those wounds looked nasty. If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

"Oh, nothing..." I trailed off, looking away. "...just some idiot bully."

"Oh god, that's terrible, I'm so sorry. Were those your flowers on the ground there?"

"Yeah..." I sighed. "They were."

"Well, I'm sorry they had to suffer that terrible fate. What, or dare I ask _who_ were they for?" She grinned at me, obviously begging for a reply. I didn't have any reason to hide it, so I told her they were for a friend, but that they didn't take it well.

"Oh dear, that's awful. And they were such pretty flowers too. I'm sorry, I know how it feels to be rejected."

I immediately turned my head back towards her. "Rejected? Oh, no, no. It wasn't like that. Well...I guess it was...but in a different sort of way."

"Oh, sweetie...there _is_ no 'different sort of way.' There's only one way, and that way didn't work. But don't feel bad! There are still plenty of fish in the sea!"

"But...that's not–!"

"Welp, I'd better get going now! My boyfriend doesn't like when I stay out too late. Oh, but where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Rosalya. What's yours?"

"Julia." I replied quietly. "It's nice to meet you, Rosalya."

"Julia...? That's interesting... Well anyway, see you later!"

Then she walked off, almost skipping. _I wonder what has her so happy...and what did she mean by "interesting?"_ , I thought to myself as I walked home. My name was interesting? The fact that she thought that in and of itself was interesting; however, it probably wasn't too important, so I told myself not to worry about it. Depressed about everything else that'd happened that day, I decided to call Jasmine as soon as I got home. Maybe she could offer me some support.

"WHAT?!" She shouted over the phone after I told her what happened to my flowers. "HOW DARE THEY?!"

Now, Jasmine didn't get passionate about too much, but the two things that _did_ set her off were animals and flowers. "Well, as it turns out, Nathaniel's allergic to daisies...oops. As for Capucine, she's just a jerk; you know this." I tried to explain this to calm her down a little bit, but it didn't work at all.

"I will CUT THEM. You hear me? CUT THEM. ….But only a little bit, cause I dun wanna get in trouble."

That made me laugh. "So, like...a papercut?"

"YES!" She yelled back, laughing. "EXACTLY like a papercut. I'm gonna give them ALL the papercuts in the WORLD! MUAAHHAAHHAHAHA!"

"Haha, okay well you do that."

I stayed on the phone with Jasmine while I did my homework. It was so much fun talking to her about dumb things that I only hung up when I absolutely had to go to bed. After all, school would be even less pleasant if I didn't get any sleep. Thankfully, our conversation cheered me up a little, and I was able to sleep without too many thoughts rotating in my head.

….What? ….I can't just shut _all_ of them off. ^w^'


	7. Fate

Everything at school was always the same. Go there, learn something (if I could focus enough), and go home. I hated having to repeat the same things over and over again, especially with things as they were. I didn't want to have to face anyone after all that's happened, and yet, I forced myself to go anyway. Of course, that was mostly because I'd be in trouble if I didn't, but at the same time, I felt like my feelings would only get darker if I gave myself the time to sit and wallow in them. School was my prison and my paradise, in that respect. Today was no different; I got up, I got ready, I went to school. I was lost deep in my thoughts as I entered the school, too consumed to pay attention to anything around me. So, naturally, I once again collided with fate and ended up on the floor. To my surprise, "fate's" name was Chris.

"Geez, you really have to stop doing that. Someone's gonna have it out for you one day."

"No kidding..." I replied as he pulled me back up once more. "I'm sorry."

"No problem," he said with a smile. "I just want you to be careful, that's all. You really gotta keep an eye out now that...you know..."

"Yeah, I know. And I will. So...um...I guess I'll see you later..."

"Yeah...see you later..."

I didn't want to, but I knew I had to keep our conversations short. After all, a certain somebody might be watching. Plus, I knew I actually _would_ see him later in class, so I had that to look forward to. I turned to walk away, but something held me back.

"Wait."

I turned back to see that Chris had grabbed ahold of my arm. He stood there and looked at me for a minute, as if he couldn't get out what he was trying to say. I waited for a while, but nothing.

"What is it? Are you okay?"

"...Yeah...it's just..." He looked away sadly. Something was bothering him, and I had a good idea what. But still, I needed him to say what was on his mind. "...What? It's just what?"

"I was just thinking..." He fell silent for a moment, and I felt his grip tighten around my arm. Then...

"How long are we gonna go on like this?" His voice got louder. "How long do we have to wait until this is over?" He stared intently into my eyes, begging me to give him an answer he wanted to hear. But...

"I'm sorry, Chris. I really am, but right now, this is the way things have to be. I'll fix this, I promise, but right now, I need more time."

Chris let go of my arm and shook his head. "Why? Why do we need permission to hang out? Why do you need the okay of some crazy guy to be my friend?"

I had to admit I was speechless. I didn't know how to answer that. _Why DO I need Lysander's permission? Am I really that scared...? I don't want to lose Chris, but still..._ I hated upsetting Chris this way, but I knew what would happen if I didn't comply. Lysander wasn't exactly "all bark and no bite;" I knew better than anyone that he meant everything he said. But how would I explain that to Chris? In the end, I couldn't say anything...

"You know..." Chris continued. "If that's how it's going to be, then I'd rather not be involved at all."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. The longer I waited for his answer, the more worried I became. "What are you saying, Chris?"

"I'm saying..." he paused, "if I have to sneak around like this just to talk to you, just to stay friends with you, then I...!"

"No!" I screamed at him, dreading what I knew he was about to say.

"...I don't want to be friends at all."

I stood there, shocked. Hurt. Confused. I couldn't believe it. Why did Chris say that to me? We'd been friends for over a year now...had the past few weeks taken their toll on him that badly?

….Had Lysander won already?

"No." I refuted firmly. There was no way I would let him give up on our friendship so easily. Not like this. "This is exactly what that "crazy guy" wants. If you walk away, he wins. Is that what you want? Don't you care?"

With everyone gone except me and him, the hallway fell completely silent. The few seconds I waited for him to say something – anything – felt like an eternity. But in the end, all I got was...

"...Goodbye, Julia."

And then he walked away. I was so distraught, I didn't know what to think. Only two questions echoed throughout my mind:

 _What just happened? Why did this have to happen?_

Those thoughts continued to haunt me until I got to my classroom. By then, it was already half-way over, but luckily this time, the teacher didn't notice. I really didn't need to be reprimanded now, of all times. In a desperate attempt to get my mind off of Chris, I tried extra hard to pay attention to the lesson. However, as I got there in the middle of class, it was hard for me figure out what the teacher was talking about. After a few minutes of staring at the whiteboard and trying to follow along, my focus gradually faded and my thoughts crept back in. As a result, I only ended up torturing myself more.

The rest of my morning classes went by pretty quickly, and I hoped that the rest of the day passed by just as fast. Of course, the lunch break was always nice. I was at the very back of the line, so when I finally did get up to the counter, one of the lunch ladies saw the depressed look on my face and talked to me for a little bit to try and cheer me up. I'd never actually talked to any of them before – I never thought I would – but she was really understanding, so I actually did feel a little better afterwards. Unfortunately, that feeling didn't last long. Next up was floral design, and Mrs. Hana finally noticed that her flowers were gone. I hated the thought of lying, especially to one of my favorite teachers, so when she asked who stole them, I confessed. I hoped she would show me a little mercy, but instead, I was sent to the principal's office.

"So, Miss Chama, I heard you stole some flowers."

"...Yes, ma'am." I looked away in shame. I didn't want to face anyone today in general, but especially not now.

"Well that's very unlike you. You're such a good student; I'm sure Mrs. Hana would have given you some flowers if you'd just asked. Why did you feel the need to steal them?"

"I..." I fell silent. I wasn't sure how to explain my intentions to the principal. It wasn't like I _wanted_ to steal them, but I knew she was right. "I needed them...for someone else. I'm sorry I didn't ask, but I needed them right away; I didn't think it could wait. But it doesn't matter now...I'm sorry."

"It _does_ matter," the principal refuted. "Burglary is burglary, no matter who you are or why you did it. School property is school property; it doesn't belong to you. Honestly, I'm shocked that you would even do this at all. How disappointing..."

With that, my morale was back to zero, if not below that. It was a good thing the principal let me off with a warning (even if she gave me a long lecture to go with it) because even though I knew what I did was wrong, I might have lost my sanity entirely if I were actually punished for it now. Unfortunately, because of my little visit with her, I had missed the rest of floral and was running late for physics, so I made sure to get out of there as quickly as possible. However, as soon as I left the office –

"So you were here."

I looked up to see the very person I wanted to see the least. He said those words as if he had no idea I was here, but the fact that he was standing just outside made me think he already knew. "...Yes..." I replied hesitantly, frozen in place once again. I glanced at him every so often but couldn't make eye-contact for long. "What about you, Lysander? Why are you here?"

"Because you weren't there. In class, I mean. You're never more than a minute late, so I was starting to worry about you. What happened?"

"Um...I don't wanna talk about it..."

"Are you sure? Whatever it is, please don't be afraid to tell me. I know it's not your fault."

"But it is though." I argued. "I stole...something." I wanted to tell the truth, but I couldn't just tell him I'd stolen flowers, because there was no way I could tell him why. That...that was something he should never know – not ever. If I left my actions vague, I could at least try to brush off the reason like it was no big deal. That way, no one would have to worry.

"You...stole something? Really?"

"Yeah..."

"What was it?"

I didn't answer. I didn't want to, and I knew if I tried to make something up, he'd see right through it anyway.

Lysander walked up to me and took my hand. "Please don't keep secrets from me. If it's making you feel this way, then I want to know what it is. I want to make you feel better."

He was staring right at me, but I still couldn't look at him. His closeness was making me feel uncomfortable, yet warm and fuzzy at the same time. It was that same feeling he always gave me, and I didn't want to give in. "N-Never mind! I'm not trying to keep it a secret, I just don't wanna talk about it, okay? It doesn't matter anyway, it's already done; it's already been dealt with."

He squeezed my hand tighter. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" I snapped at him as I finally looked into his eyes, staring as intensely at him as he was at me. I wanted him to know I was serious. I wanted him to drop it. "...Can we please just go to class now? We're really late."

He waited a moment before answering. "...Yeah...of course. You're right, we should go."

We walked all the way to class together without looking at each other or saying a word, but he never let go of my hand until we were at our seats. I of course had a good excuse for being late, as the principal sent me with a note to give the teacher, but Lysander was scolded for his extensive "bathroom break" and was told he would receive a detention if he ever did it again. Everyone in the classroom stared at us, including Chris, who looked even more depressed than earlier. I wanted so badly to try and talk to him, but I knew the risk was still there. So, we quietly worked on our lab assignment, only talking to each other to share instructions.

 _Wow..._ , I thought. _He's really mad at me._

I could swear I heard Lysander chuckle under his breath in the background.

For the rest of the day, I moved as fast as I could, making sure to watch where I was going every step of the way. I didn't want to talk to anyone about anything or bump into someone by accident; I just wanted to get through the day and go home. For the most part, it was working. After physics, I made it on time to Choir and then P.E. with no problems, and nothing else went wrong. Since they didn't require as much focus as my earlier classes did, I was able to make my mind let go and try to forget about everything. I almost didn't hear my P.E. coach when he told us it was time to go home, and I wouldn't have had the last bell not been so loud. When I finally snapped out of it, I practically raced towards the exit as if my life depended on how fast I could get home. But of course...

"Oh, hey!" A familiar voice shouted to me. I looked around until I found the person walking towards me. It was that girl from a few days before, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't recall her name. "It's you! You're Julia, right?"

"Yeah." I replied, guilty I wasn't able to reciprocate. "I'm sorry, but I forgot your name. What was it again?"

"Oh, no worries!" she said cheerfully. "My name's Rosalya. I just saw you, so I thought I'd say hi. How've you been? How are you feeling?"

"Oh..." I looked down at my legs and found the scrapes and bruises I'd gotten that day. With everything going on around me, I hadn't thought much about them. After all, they were already healing. They certainly weren't getting any worse. "I'm fine, everything's fine. How are you?"

"Good, thanks for asking!"

"Good. Well...nice seeing you again." I smiled at her and started to walk away.

"Wait!" She called out. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

I turned back around. "Sure, what is it?"

"Well..." she continued. "This might be a weird question, but what do you think about Halloween?"

"Um..." I thought for a second. "I dunno, it's fun. I like going trick-or-treating and all that. I like the dark colors and themes. Why?"

She became disappointed for a second. "Trick-or-treating? Isn't that for little kids?"

"U-Uh...well, I mean...yeah, but..." I looked away, embarrassed. It's true that I was a little old for that, but it was honestly the best part, in my opinion.

"Well anyway," she interrupted, "forget about all that. What do you think about school events?"

I got confused. "I don't know, what do you mean? Like field days and stuff?"

"No!" she snapped at me. "Not like field days! Like dramas and dances and stuff! You know, formal events!"

"Oh...I dunno, they're okay, I guess."

"Just okay? What kind of girl _are_ you? Don't you at least enjoy dressing up?"

"...Eh."

"You know what? It's a good thing I asked, because we're gonna change that!"

"What do you mean?"

All of a sudden, Rosalya went from being utterly disgusted to as happy as can be. "I heard there's gonna be a Halloween dance here at the school! And now that I know what kind of sad plans you had before, I'm gonna take you with me!"

Now it was my turn to be disgusted. "No."

"What do y–"

"No."

"But–"

"Absolutely not."

"Why?!"

"Because!" I yelled at her. "Because I don't like stuff like that! I went to one once in middle school and it was boring as fuck!"

Rosalya gasped in shock. "TAKE. THAT. BACK."

"Wha–No! I will not!"

"RIGHT NOW."

"No!"

"You know what? I don't care what you say. You're going. And I'm gonna make you the perfect costume!"

"I don't want it!"

"Too bad!"

And with that, she stomped away, but not before threatening to take my measurements at some point in the near future. I had no intention of letting her do so, of course, but I looked forward to seeing her try. Finally with nothing else in my way, I managed to make it home. I was so tired that I locked my door and slid to the floor as soon as I got inside. For a few short hours, I was finally able to relax. Of course, I got some of my homework done, but since none of it was due for a while, I didn't do very much. After all, I wasn't in any mood to. All I wanted to do was eat, play some games, and go to bed, and that's exactly what I did. I was just about to fall asleep when my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID:

 **Chris**

"...What?"


	8. The Plan

_Oh my god, I can't believe this!_ I thought to myself as I shot up in bed. After what'd happened between me and Chris earlier, I thought for sure he'd never talk to me again. And yet...

I answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi. I'm glad you answered, I thought you might ignore me after what I said to you today."

"Ignore you? I thought you would never speak to me again! What's going on?"

"Right. I guess I owe you an explanation, huh?"

I stayed silent, waiting anxiously for what he was going to say. I was still shocked that we were talking at all, so I didn't know what to think. But the fact he called gave me a good feeling.

"I didn't mean any of what I said earlier. It was all just an act."

"An act?" I asked, a bit confused and a little angry. "What do you mean, 'an act'? Why would you do such a thing?"

"I understand you're angry, and I'm sorry I hurt you. But please believe me, I have a good reason."

"Like what?!"

"Like protecting you! And me! From that crazy guy always following you around. I _am_ going to put him in his place, but I need time to do that on my own. That's why I did it. I need him to believe I'm out of the picture, and you can't lie, so I needed you to believe it too. But when I tried...the look on your face...the agony in your voice...I can't do that to you. So, please help me keep it a secret."

It was then that I realized how stupid I was. Here I thought he was actually done with me, but it was all just a ruse, and a good one too. If I believed it, my devastation alone would be more than enough to make Lysander believe it as well. It was genius.

 _I can't believe I yelled at him like that..._ I thought to myself as I tried to find the words I wanted to say. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you had a plan. But you're right, that would totally work!"

"Yeah, it will. But now that I've told you, you'll have to pretend too."

"Well yeah, of course! I know that!"

"Yeah, but do you think you're up to it? If we're gonna pull this off, you're gonna need to work on your poker face and acting skills."

"I can do that!" He didn't respond. All I heard was his condescending silence, and that just made me feel...I don't even know what. But it didn't matter anyway; I had an idea. "You know what? I know how I'm gonna do this. You really hurt my feelings with what you said to me earlier, so all I have to do is get back in that mindset."

"Yeah, that'd be good. And also...uh...I think we should 'turn up the heat,' if you know what I'm saying."

"...You mean like, intensify things?"

"Yeah, exactly. We need to make sure people know we're not on good terms. Start arguing with each other more, throw insults around, that kind of thing. Hey...what if we staged a fight?"

"What?"

"I'm saying, what if we have some dumb argument that ends in us screaming at each other in the hallway, where everyone will be watching? It's the best way to let everyone know we aren't friends anymore."

"Yeah, you're right! That would be awesome! Let's do it! But when?"

"Tomorrow. During physics. I'll start arguing with you in class, criticizing your work, calling you names, and whatever. And then when it's over, you storm off and I follow you, bullying you more."

"Yeah...and then I start crying and screaming at you for the things you're saying, and we keep going at it like that, right?"

"Exactly."

"But aren't you worried this will ruin your reputation?"

"I mean...yeah, but...this is more important. This is serious."

"I know, but..."

"I'll be fine. I promise. You just worry about you, okay?"

"...Alright. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah...see you."

And that was that. Personally, I thought the plan was a bit extreme, but desperate times called for desperate measures, and this was exactly the kind of thing we needed if we ever wanted to fool someone like Lysander. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but just knowing that Chris and I were okay made me want to try. I was very nervous, but I also felt a lot better, like a heavy weight had been lifted off my chest. With one less thing to worry about, I was finally able to sleep. God knows I needed to...

The next day arrived sooner than I was ready for. I woke up with my heart practically racing out of my chest, as if it had spent the hours I was asleep running a marathon. I leapt out of bed and got as ready as I could, as fast as my heartbeat. How my day would go, I had no idea, but I was both scared and excited to find out. With that thought in mind, I closed the door behind me and went on my way.

No distractions came about before the start of my first class, so I didn't have to worry about being late today. No, the distraction came immediately _after_ my first class.

"Julia!" I heard someone shout from across the hallway. Lo and behold, it was Rosalya again.

 _Oh boy..._

"I know it's early, but we NEED to discuss your measurements."

"Now? I can take them for you later, okay?"

"No, no, no! I need to do it! There's much more involved in this than the measurements themselves! I need to figure out what kind of fabric to use, what color looks best on you, things like that!"

"Okay, but not right now, I gotta go!"

"I know, but I was thinking: why don't you come to my place this weekend? We can figure it all out then." She said that like she already knew I had no plans, which ticked me off a little, but I agreed to go anyway. After all, I felt bad for being mean about the whole dance thing. Rosalya seemed like she was really looking forward to it, and if she asked _me_ of all people to go with her, then maybe I should. And maybe if I went with a friend (or at least someone who's trying to be), I might have some fun too. I probably _was_ outgrowing the kid stuff anyway. After telling Rosalya I would go, she said nothing more; just smiled and happily skipped away.

Thankfully nothing else distracted me from the rest of my morning classes. I managed to get through them all and actually learn something. But I can't tell you now. I don't remember. Something boring, I'm sure, don't worry about it. Anyway, I was on my way to lunch when I saw Nathaniel pass by. That reminded me, I still needed to patch things up with him, but he was walking so fast, he was starting to disappear into the crowd. I did lose him for a minute, but once some of the other students cleared away, I found him again right when he was turning a corner. Normally, I wasn't the type to follow people, but this was important to me. If I didn't try to talk to him now, who knows when I would get the chance again? You? I don't think so. You're only on chapter 7, what do you know? Anyway, I rushed after him, only to see him turn once again, this time into some random room. As I walked closer, I heard him talking with someone.

"Good, you're here."

"Of course, Mr. Boss-Man!"

"..."

"...Uh...I mean, 'Sir.'"

"Better. Now here's what I want you to do."

I got a little closer, sticking as close as possible to the wall so I couldn't be seen, but I glanced into the room to see what Nathaniel was doing. Right now, he was reaching into his pocket for something, but I couldn't see what it was from where I was standing.

"I need you to take this and give it out to the other students, but make sure they know I expect something in return."

"Sure thing, Sir. But...uh...what if they don't...you know...'comply?'"

"They will. If you give them enough. If they still don't, well...let's just say I'll be keeping an eye on them."

"Got it."

"..."

"...Sir."

"Alright then. Go on. Oh, and don't forget, I'll be watching you too. If you fail to do as I've asked, I promise you you'll regret it."

"...Yes, sir. I'll get it done, sir."

"Good."

I couldn't see the other guy, but his shadow was coming towards me, and fast. I turned around and walked away as quickly as I could while making as little sound as possible. The guy Nathaniel was talking to didn't seem to notice me, but Nathaniel himself...well...

"You."

I immediately froze. Slowly, I turned around to see Nathaniel down the hall behind me. I didn't know what else to do, so I simply said, "Hi." Of course I knew it was dumb to say something so casual, but I couldn't get my brain to think of anything else.

"Don't try to play dumb. I know you heard me."

"Well...yeah. But I didn't mean to! I swear!"

"Oh? And you just happened to be here when I was having my private meeting?"

It was true I'd gone there specifically to talk to Nathaniel, but I honestly never meant to overhear such a...questionable conversation. "Look, I...I came here to talk to you! That's it! I know you don't like me, but that's exactly what bothers me! I want to be on good terms with you again. I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your meeting, I promise. Please, believe me!"

"...You know, that's exactly the kind of stupid thing you _would_ do. Fine, I believe you, but you've wasted your time. Get it through your head that I don't want to be friends with you. I don't even want to _know_ you. I want you out of my life. For good."

Seeing the serious look on his face made me realize he really meant it. Nothing I could ever say or do would change his mind, and maybe that was the way it should be. I decided then and there that it wasn't worth the trouble to try and regain his trust anymore. I turned to leave.

"And don't you ever, _ever_ tell anyone about any of this, understand? Or else–"

"Or else you'll 'make sure I regret it,' right?" I said, looking over my shoulder, back at him.

"And so much more. If you tell anyone any of this..." He paused for a moment, but I could see an evil smile forming on his face. He looked straight at me and said, "If you tell anyone about this, I'll tell Lysander things you might not want him to know...even if you yourself don't know."

"...What are you saying, Nathaniel?"

"I'm saying, if I get caught and I find out you were the one behind it, I might make up some crazy stories. Just to make things even, you know."

"What? You can't do that!"

"I can. And will. Watch me."

"Nathaniel...what happened to you?"

"I dunno. Maybe I've been cursed. Maybe I've been turned into a monster by a horrible witch who thinks her feelings are more important than everyone else's."

"...Nathaniel..."

"If you're smart, you'll stay out of my way. You never saw me, you never heard anything. Don't ever talk to me again; I mean it. Goodbye." Nathaniel stormed off, purposefully bumping into me as he passed by, as a final warning. I didn't see any point in staying there, so I left too.

After barely finishing my food in the fifteen minutes I had left to do so, I was back in floral design. This time, there was nothing to get in trouble for, so I was thankfully able to be there the entire time and learn. Learn about all the different kinds of flowers, learn how to appreciate them. It was the most peaceful thing in the world, and I really needed it. The fact that this class was centered on one of the most beautiful forms of life and that the teacher herself was an angel on Earth was the very reason this class was my favorite. There was never anything to worry about here; no problems with my classmates, no dramatic events (well...except for the whole "theft" thing...), and no unfair treatment by the teacher. It was the one place I could go in the entire school this year that actually made me feel...safe. And I loved it.

And then the bell rang.

All of my worries immediately came rushing back to me. Lysander, Chris, and now Nathaniel...I didn't know if I'd be able to handle it all. But my biggest worry right now was one thing and one thing only: the fight. It was time for me and Chris to put on the performance of a lifetime, and I was already shaking a little. I tried my best to regain my composure, because at that moment, I wanted nothing more than to make this work. I had to. I just wasn't sure what to do. I sat at my lab table as usual, alongside Chris, and everything began normally. But when we started today's experiment, we put our plan into action. At first, it was simple; any time one of us tried to follow directions, the other one would find some issue with it, like not adding enough of the chemical or handling it incorrectly, things like that – completely shooting down the other's input. We made sure to whisper quietly enough so that we wouldn't attract the teacher's attention too quickly, yet loud enough for nearby groups to hear. We went on like that for at least five minutes, and then–

*CRASH*

Chris "accidentally" knocked over one of the vials we were working with.

"Oh, look what you did!" he shouted. "You broke it!"

"Me?!" I yelled back. "YOU'RE the one who knocked it over!"

"Only because you distracted me with your dumb ideas!"

"What?! What did you say?!"

"You heard me!"

"OH! You know what? If that's how it's gonna be, then how do you like THIS?!" Going with the moment, I knocked everything else off the table as well into a big, messy pile on the ground next to us. It was then that the teacher finally chimed in.

"That's enough! Everyone, get out of this room now! Those chemicals are a hazard!"

So we all left, Chris and I being the first two out the door. Like we planned, I stomped off first with him following behind.

"Hey!" the drama continued. "Where do you think you're going?!"

"Away from YOU!"

"I don't think so! I'm not done talking to you!"

We kept walking and arguing like that until we were standing right in the middle of the main hallway where everyone could see us. It was then and there we decided to pull out our big lines.

Naturally, he went first, "This is all your fault! How can you be so stupid?!"

….and I burst out crying, "I'm stupid?! YOU dropped the chemicals first!"

….all to build up tension, "I can't believe I ever trusted a dumb bitch like you! Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of, you cunt!"

….for the "coup de grace! "FUCK YOU!" I screamed out at the top of my lungs. "I hate you! I wish we'd never MET!"

His last response, delivered calmly and clearly in the resulting silence of the crowd, "...Then I guess that makes two of us."

Then he walked away.

I, on the other hand, kept my tears coming as I slid to the floor. The students around me were very concerned, which told me the plan worked perfectly. After some of them comforted me and helped me up, I wiped the tears away and went right back to my routine. This whole fiasco took up whatever time remained of physics, so next up was choir. I breathed a sigh of relief as I walked to the classroom. The hard part was finally over, and everyone bought it. Now I just had to make them keep believing it for as long as Chris needed. I didn't know exactly what he had in mind (if anything at all), so I knew it might be a while, but I also knew that as long as Chris and I stayed away from each other at school, it wouldn't be too hard. It shouldn't be, anyway.

With the "main event" of my day drawn to a close, I felt like I could finally breathe again, although I was always careful not to let that feeling show. As far as everyone knew, I was the most depressed girl in school, so I kept it up. I got a chance to talk to Jasmine and Lucy in-between and after classes, and we all ended up walking home together too. They too were concerned for me, but I decided to let them in on it. After all, they were the best friends I'd ever had, and I didn't want to make them feel terrible for me, especially when it was all a lie anyway. That would make me feel really bad. Once I cleared everything up for them, we went back to our normal conversations. We compared our school days with each other (although we all agreed mine took the cake) and talked for a while about general stuff like videos we watched and whatever else we'd been doing with our lives recently. I found out that one of Jasmine's favorite K-Pop groups was having a comeback and that Lucy found a new guy to crush on. Neither of these things surprised me at all; in fact you could say I was highly expecting both. All I knew was that it was nice to walk home talking to my good friends with nothing around to ruin it.

When we got back to our building, we took the same elevator and parted ways on our respective floors. I walked down the hallway towards my apartment, digging for my key in my backpack, and I had just found it when–

"Hey there, stranger."

I looked up to see Chris standing right in front of me with a smile on his face. _What a contrast..._ I thought, and started giggling.

Seeing me laugh made him laugh too. "Hey, what's that all about, weirdo?"

I smiled back at him and replied "Sorry, it's just...after our 'fight' earlier, it's really nice to see you happy."

"That was pretty intense, wasn't it? Good job, you were great."

"Yeah, you too! Oh my god, it felt so real!"

"Thanks! And yeah, I know, that's why I'm here. Even though we were acting, I felt bad the entire time, so I wanted to surprise you. We haven't seen each other much lately, so I thought I would come hang out here for a while."

"Of course! Come on in!"

"So," He said. "How have you been?"

"I've been better..." I answered. "But, I'm glad you're here. How are you?"

"About the same. But that's _why_ I'm here – to cheer us up!" He poked my side and I burst out laughing.

"HEY! That tickles! Stop that!"

"Nah."

"No fair! NO FAIR!" I shouted, defending myself against his "attacks."

"Alright, alright." The sadist laughed. "Let's play Smash Bros then. It's been a while since I kicked your butt."

"Whatever! I can beat you any day!"

"You're on!"

So, we played. And I got close (many times). Buuuuuuut, no dice! Every time I thought I had it, he beat me! We were both on our last lives, and he kept getting the last hit! I was so ashamed. Nevertheless, I had a great time with Chris. We stayed there for hours talking, playing games, and watching TV. Neither of us wanted the fun to end, but alas, time flew right by us and before we knew it, it was already midnight!

"Geez, look at how late it is." I said, finally realizing it.

"Wow, already? It feels like I just got here," he replied with a cheery laugh.

I got up to get the door for him, and we said our goodbyes. I had almost completely closed the door, when out of nowhere, he came back and gave me a hug.

"Hey...it was nice seeing you again. I'm really sorry about everything I said to you earlier, even though I didn't mean it. I don't wanna hurt you."

"U-Um..." I stuttered, blushing. "It's okay, I know it was all fake. I'm sorry too."

"I know..." After a few more seconds, Chris let go and stood up straight again. "And you know, just because we're supposed to be fighting, it doesn't mean we have to deliberately push each other around all the time. For the most part, we'll be ignoring each other, okay? I won't say anything I don't have to. But if I do..." he trailed off, looking away.

I knew exactly what he meant. "It's okay, I get it. Like I said, I'll do whatever it takes to keep this thing going and give you time, even if it means we do occasionally have to insult each other and be...mean, in general. It's 'all just an act,' remember?"

"Yeah...you're right. It's all just an act. Just pretend."

"Yeah, exactly. So yes, for the most part, we'll be ignoring each other, fine. But when push comes to shove, we need to be ready to push and shove. We have to give this our all."

"I know, and I will. Especially because I know you will too. Thanks, Julia."

"No problem, Chris. That's what friends are for!" ^w^

"Ha...yeah. So...let's do this again sometime, okay?"

"Sure thing. Well, Goodnight then. See you tomorrow, 'frienemy.'" I said, jokingly.

He smiled and looked away, but I could tell he was blushing now too. "Yeah...see ya."

Then he left, and I closed the door. I'd completely forgotten about my homework, but I didn't have any time to do it now, so I decided it would have to wait 'til the next day. For now though, I needed to sleep. I still had one more day of school left until the weekend, so I couldn't completely relax just yet. After today's stunt, I needed to be ready for anything and everything that might come my way.

 _Just one more day..._

… _.no problem, right?_

…...


	9. They Couldn't Have Been More Right

At last, it was Friday, and I wanted more than anything to enjoy it, but I knew better. Things were really tense right now at school, and I knew I'd have to face that head on. Whatever happened, I just hoped yesterday's events worked on Lysander. That was the important thing. I decided so as I walked from my apartment to the school, determined to stand my ground...before coming to a dead stop right in front of the door.

 _Argh, I don't get this! Why won't my legs move?_

I was stuck. As I looked up at the massive building, fear crept its way into my heart, but I knew what I had to do. So, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and–

*BAM*

As soon as I grabbed the door's handle, it flew right into my face, which I immediately covered afterwards. I couldn't see who did it, but instead of an apology from the random stranger I assumed was there, all I got was:

"Oooops, sorry! If I'd known you were there, I'd have pushed the door harder! See ya, freak!"

"Ugh..." I muttered to myself as I watched Capucine walk away, laughing like it was the funniest thing she'd seen all week. I hated her. If no one else would do something to stop her soon, I would...I just had no idea how.

There was no doubt the impact left a huge mark on my forehead – I could feel it. "Great..." I sighed to myself as I entered the school. "...Exactly what I needed today." Frustrated, I stomped through the school, covering the mark with my hand. In the main hall, I noticed a group of students gathered around the bulletin board. That thing never really piqued my interest; it usually only held posters for school events I didn't care about or some kind of "news" I couldn't bring myself to read. There were always a few people throughout the day who stopped in front of it to see what was going on, but this larger group now really caught my attention. I stood there for a minute, stretching over people to try and see what was posted there, but I was too far back to read it. After a while, I decided to leave. I mean, I still had class to go to, after all; it's not like they were going to wait for me. I started to walk away, but I had only taken about two steps when I heard–

"Whaaat? A new guy's gonna be our student body president?!"

I stopped in my tracks. I realized now why so many students swarmed around the bulletin board: this was the rankings post for the next student body president.

 _How could I forget?!_

Without hesitation, I turned back around and pushed my way through the students. I didn't care who I shoved or what happened to them afterwards – I _had_ to get up there. _If what that student said was true..._ I thought to myself as I finally reached the board. To my horror, my suspicions were confirmed. I glared at the board:

1\. Nathaniel – 370 votes

2\. Chris – 253 votes

 _...No...how did this happen...?_ Even though this was only a preview count, my heart sunk. I couldn't wrap my head around it; everyone knew and loved Chris, and he was doing so well. It was hard to get as many votes as he did, and yet...

 _Nathaniel IS a new student...how did he get that many...?_ While I knew that Nathaniel had skill with this sort of thing, he was just too new to make it this far. Not only was he competing with Chris, but he was winning by over 100 votes. Even the rest of the candidates, who had also been here for a while now and had been recognized by other students, were nowhere near them. _How did THAT happen? How–_ And then it hit me:

 _Money._

That's what happened. It had to. That meeting I accidentally witnessed yesterday was Nathaniel giving that other guy orders to hand out money in return for votes. In other words,

"...It was bribery." I mumbled to myself, unable to break my gaze. "...But...how did he do this so fast?" This was a whole other side to Nathaniel I'd never seen before. As the rest of the students dispersed and the sound of the bell drowned out in my thoughts, I realized something that scared me. Nathaniel, the sweet boy from Sweet Amoris who used to be such a good person, was no more. No, this corrupted criminal here with me now was someone else entirely.

 _...I don't know Nathaniel anymore._

By the time I regained my composure, I was completely late for class. I really didn't wanna get reprimanded by my math teacher again, so I decided to just go to my next class. I could deal with the punishment later. I wandered the hallways a bit, since I still had some time until my next class started, which was good. I needed to think and really process everything. I really didn't think something like this would happen in completely empty hallways, but lo and behold...

*BUMP*

"Ow!" I shouted as I fell to the floor. This time, at least, it wasn't my fault. Someone ran into me full speed and sent me flying five feet down the hallway.

"Oh, geez! I'm sorry! Here, let me help you."

I stared at him as he pulled me up. I recognized his face from somewhere, but I couldn't tell where...

"...Are you okay? You're lookin' at me kinda weird..."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, realizing my mistake. "Yeah! I'm sorry. It's just that...well...I feel like...have I met you before?"

He looked away, trying to think. "Hmm...no, I don't think so...sorry. Well, I gotta run! See ya, Slidey!"

He literally took off running.

….

 _Slidey...didn't he call me 'Skittles' last time?_ I turned back to look at him, but he was already gone. _Yup...no doubt in my mind...that was 'Skittles' guy._

"What a weirdo..." I whispered, before entering the classroom.

History class was...well...history class. Same boring stuff as usual – there was only one difference: "Okay class, don't forget! Your essay on World War I are due on Monday. Work hard, study well, and you'll get the grade you deserve! Good luck!"

 _AAAAAH! I COMPLETELY FORGOT!_

I would have actually shouted that had I not been in a compact room with several other students. But rest assured, I _was_ panicking. With everything that was going on, I had forgotten about my essays entirely, and now it was due in three days! On top of that, I also remembered I had a research paper due sometime soon for English.

 _Seriously...please kill me._

As I expected, my English teacher brought up the essay for her class too, but that one wasn't due until the following week's Monday, so I didn't have to worry about that right now. Fortunately, the teacher gave us the entire class period to work on our assignment, so I chose to start on my other one instead. She gave us permission to go to the library for research materials, so of course, I went. With two papers to write and not much time to write them, I was going to need as much information as I could get. I managed to get a fair amount, but I wasn't sure it would be enough. After all, you can only get so much information in the span of 45 minutes...I knew I needed to do a lot more research at home.

I was really glad to have the full lunch period today. I really hated having to rush yesterday, and I never wanted that to happen again. Then there was floral, which was also nice, as always.

….But then there was physics. And oh boy, was I in for a treat today. As soon as the teacher walked in, "Good afternoon, class. Before we begin today, Chis, Julia, could I speak to you for a moment?" I sighed as I walked with Chris to join our teacher at his desk. _Here it comes..._

"Your actions were very immature and disruptive to our class. You're both getting a detention."

I looked away, but said nothing. It was disappointing, but I fully expected it.

"And one more thing," he continued. "Since the two of you can't get along, you can't be in the same group. Julia, switch with that young lady at the table next to you. Please."

My eyes widened. _The table...next to me? But that means–!_

"NO!" I screamed. The whole class fell dead silent. I could feel their intense stare burning into my soul.

"Uh...W-What I mean to say is, I'm fine switching with anybody, but could it please be someone else? Anybody..."

"You will do as your told." He replied, harshly. "Until you earn my respect again, don't ask me for anything, unless it's for the lesson."

"But–!"

"We're done. Go to your new seat. Now."

"...Okay."

In utter shock and disappointment, I followed my teacher's orders and slumped over to my new seat...right across from Lysander. I couldn't bear to face him, especially now that he'd heard my plea for escape. I thought for sure he would be angry with me, but all he said was,

"...I'm sorry."

"What?" I looked at him, surprised. Out of all the things I expected him to say, that was about the last one on the list.

"I said, I'm sorry." He repeated, reaching over to put his hand on mine. "It really hurts to lose someone like that. I would know. I'm sorry you have to feel that pain."

His words sounded sincere, but all I could really think was _You're "sorry?" Are you, really?_ After all, this was exactly what he wanted; how could he possibly mean that? Even if this fight between me and Chris was fake, at school, it felt all too real. Because of Lysander, Chris and I could only be friends part-time, and if he had it his way, we couldn't be friends at all. I didn't think I could ever forgive him for that, but for Chris's sake, I had to "try."

"Thank you." I replied, trying to muster the best smile I could. "I appreciate it."

He smiled back, and from there on, we just worked on our experiment. To tell the truth, it wasn't too bad working with Lysander. We really only talked to each other if we needed to for the project, so it was very easy to focus. While that feeling was nice, I couldn't let it overtake me. Now more than ever, I had to be strong. For Chris. For me.

Although...that was really hard to do when he looked at me the way he did...

In contrast to the chaotic events so far, the rest of my day was actually pretty nice. Jasmine and I were both put into the same group for our part in the choir, and P.E. didn't even happen. Apparently, today was club-promotion day at our school, so instead of having P.E., all the students could look around at the different booths for different clubs and see which ones they like. I had to admit, it sounded kind of fun and exciting. I looked around for a good while, but I couldn't find much that was interesting to me. I was about to give up when I finally found what I was looking for.

– Music Club

– Video Games Club

– Writer's Club

I didn't know why these three clubs were grouped together like that, since they were completely different. Or...maybe they were related to each other, since most games have a written story and music. I stood there for about an eternity trying to decide which one I was going to join. I had a passion for all of these things, so the decision was really difficult. Before long, the harsh ring of the bell sounded once again, signaling the end of the school day...which meant I needed to go to my detention. With a sigh, I took a flyer from each of the stands and exited the gym.

As per instruction, I went straight to the room and sat quietly. I deliberately sat as far away from Chris as I could, so that I could barely see him out of my peripheral. Out of sight, out of mind, they say, but I wasn't entirely sure that was going to work in this case. I decided to take out the books I'd borrowed at the library earlier to see if I could get any more work done on my essays. At first, it worked. I was reading everything I needed to know and listing down my main points on a piece of paper, but when it came time to actually fill in the blanks, my mind itself went blank. I was flipping the pages, but I wasn't reading anymore; my attention span was fully gone. Realizing I wasn't going to get any more work done, I sighed and put the books back into my backpack, along with my notes. I looked at the clock to find that we still had fifteen minutes left before we could go home. Impatiently, I tried to think about ways to use up my time. I tried looking at stuff in the room to see if any of it was interesting. I read anything that was up on the whiteboard from whatever class was held there last. I even tried my best trick – going into my own head and creating a weird made-up story. But, no matter what I did, I just couldn't seem to stick with it. After a frustrating five minutes, I couldn't take it anymore. I glanced over at Chris, to see how he was doing. He was also upset, as I'd imagined, but he seemed a lot more so than me. I could see not only sadness, but a lot of anger in his expression, and every so often, he would rest his head in his hands like he didn't know what to do anymore. I felt so bad; after all, this was all my fault. Even what happened with the SBP election was my fault. If I didn't hurt Nathaniel so badly back then, he would have never turned into the monster he was now.

 _Everything that happened to you was my fault...everything bad that happens is always my fault..._

At long last, our time was up, and we were let go from detention. And it was a good thing too; any longer in there, and I was afraid I was going to cry. The simple truth was, no matter what I did or where I went, something bad always happened, and it always seemed to happen worst to the person (or people) I was closest to. There was no escaping "me." I knew that now. But what was I going to do about it? How could I change? ….Was it even possible? So I thought to myself while heading towards the school exit. I needed to figure all of that out, but right now, I had other priorities. I really needed to get my homework done, first and foremost, before I lost my mind even further. Focusing on school was the most important thing; anything else would have to come after. How could I "fix" myself if I fell behind, trapped in my own mistakes? Answer me that.

After walking the long hallways of my school, I'd finally reached the door.

 _Finally..._ I sighed with relief. _Time to go home._

I did it. I reached the end of a long day at the end of a long week. I could finally relax for a minute and forget about all the trouble going on here. I could really breathe and focus on my homework, and after that, just rest. Thinking about all of that brought a smile to my face like no other. I needed this.

I opened the door. My smile was gone.

"...Castiel?"


	10. The Plot Thickens

I...I couldn't believe my eyes. I never thought I'd see Castiel again, but there he was, standing right in front of me!

 _First Lysander, then Nathaniel, and now Castiel too? Could this get any weirder?_

As you probably could've guessed, Castiel was yet another boy I left behind in Sweet Amoris. He was the first one I met there, so I'd always held a special place in my heart for him. There was so much I wanted to say, but I was barely even able to say his name before he pushed past me and disappeared into the crowd. I should've known better than to follow him, but for some reason, I couldn't just let him go.

"Wait!" I shouted out, pushing past the crowd of other students. "Hey, wait a minute!" I kept calling out to him like that, but he wouldn't answer me. Eventually though, I was able to catch up to him. I briskly walked up from behind him and grabbed his arm, only to have him throw me off.

"What?!" He barked, finally turning around to face me. "What do you want?!"

"I want answers!" I yelled back at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Answers? You've got some nerve. It's none of your damn business, so fuck off and leave me alone."

He walked away again, but I couldn't just leave it like that. Castiel was right though. Interrogating him now, after all I'd done, would just make things worse. So, I did the only thing I really could do.

"I'm sorry!" I must've screamed it at the top of my lungs, but I needed him to hear me. I owed him just as much of an apology as I owed Nathaniel, and...well...maybe even Lysander, a little bit...

The hallway was so empty at the moment, even from ten feet away, I heard him snicker. "Sorry? You're ' _sorry_ '? The instability in his voice made me extremely uneasy. The look in his eye made me realize he was breaking. And that last outburst I so stupidly made...sent him crashing down. ... _What...just what did I do to him?_ "Uh-huh." He continued, walking back over to me. "Just like you were _sorry_ when I caught you with Nathaniel, or like you were _sorry_ you couldn't say no to Lysander? Ha...yeah, I don't think so. You're not sorry for me, you're sorry for yourself. You're sorry you got _caught_. You're a lying bitch, and you know it."

"I..." I tried to find the words I wanted to say, but I was stunned. Everything he was saying was absolutely true, and I just couldn't bring myself to try and defend it or make up excuses. I hurt him, just like the others. There was no excuse for that.

"You know...when you left, I didn't think I could live...but it actually got better. When you were gone, there wasn't as much shit going on at school, and I didn't have to fight with those other guys anymore. Nathaniel got with Melody, and they seemed okay. I don't know what happened to Lysander. After you left, so did he, and honestly, I had no problem with that. You know what? I'm glad you left, because without you there, driving a knife into my heart every time you looked at me the way you're looking at me right now, I could finally breathe again. But now...you might as well have stuck it right back in. And you really don't care, do you? That look you're giving me...you had it every single time. I can't stand to look at you anymore."

"..."

"Oh, and Slim..." He said, as he turned to leave. "Learn how to use a door already, will ya?"

And then he was gone.

…..I could've sworn I saw just the slightest hint of a smile when he left though.

 _Oh my God, the door mark!_ I immediately slapped my hand to my forehead and ran to the nearest bathroom to see if it was still there. Sure enough, it was - a huge bruise from the middle of my forehead to the bridge of my nose - a bruise I'd had once before.

Rather than thinking or panicking, or staring blankly at myself...I started laughing – like _really_ laughing – harder than I had in a long, long time.

 _I can't believe I did it again! Don't worry, Castiel, I'll figure it out someday! X'D_

… _..._

 _Hopefully. ^w^'_

At this point, it should go without saying, but I had a lot to process when I got home. First the student election, then the group change in physics, then clubs, then detention, and then Castiel. Wow. My brain couldn't figure out where to begin. With all that went on today, I was actually amazed nothing happened during my walk home. _Now_ the only battle I had to fight was with myself, and I had so many thoughts to deal with.

 _What happened with the election? Why did Nathaniel do this? Why is it so important to him? Chris has been looking forward to this for so long, it's just not fair! First the thing with Lysander, and now Nathaniel too! Everyone tied to my past is getting in his way...I have to stop this. But first, I gotta talk to him. For once in my life, I'm going to tell the truth – the whole truth. I don't wanna hide anything anymore. And what happened to Nathaniel? Did he really change that much because of what I've done? Or...did something happen between him and Melody? Whatever the case, I never thought a nice guy like him would end up a petty criminal..._

… _.._

What is it with Lysander's obsession with me, anyway? What's so special about me that he feels like he has to go to all these lengths just to be with me? There must be plenty of girls out there that would like him, if only he'd give them the chance. So why? And...what exactly is he going to do to Chris if I upset him again? I hate to think about it, but I have to know what to expect. Lysander's just so unpredictable sometimes, he really scares me. But still, when he's not in full "psycho mode," he's actually really sweet. He always speaks to me so gently, and he's always trying to fix what's bothering me...as long as it works for him, of course. What he's doing is extreme, but maybe he really is just trying to make me happy. He's just also trying to protect himself in the process. Just like Castiel said, I lied to them all and broke their hearts. Can I really blame Lysander if he doesn't trust me?

… _.._

 _Castiel...he's the last person I expected to be here. I thought for sure his sheer anger towards me would've kept him back for good, but here he is again. Why? He never did tell me what brought him to my school. I'm pretty sure I can say it wasn't for me, so then, for what? If I'm just a "knife stabbing him in the heart," then why would he risk being here at all...unless he didn't know? God, there was so much anger in his eyes. I've never seen him so livid. I can't believe he called me...that. But it's true, that's what I am. I can't blame him for hating me, I would hate me too. I do anyway. But still...if he really, truly couldn't stand me, then...why did he even bother talking to me in the first place? He could've just kept walking and he would've never had to speak to me again. He could've avoided me that easily, so why? And..._

I put a hand on my bruise again.

Why did he even bring this up? He was leaving, he had made his point, and he was about to get out of there, but he still said something. What was the point of that? What is he really trying to say?

… _.He even called me "Slim" like he used to..._

Seeing me today must've brought back so many painful memories, no doubt about it...but now I know it also brought back some good memories too – this is proof. The Castiel I knew back then is still in there somewhere. I'm so relieved. I wonder though...did the others really change for good, or are they just hiding behind walls too?

 _I wonder..._

The next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed. With all of that out of my system (for now), I could finally just relax for a bit. I spent a blissful five hours watching TV and playing games, and nothing else. I didn't even think of anything else.

I. Just. Chilled.

*RIIIIIIIIIIIIIING*

And if I were anyone else, I could've kept enjoying my day. But hey, I got a role to fill here, so...you know...

I looked at the Caller ID on my phone, but it wasn't anyone I knew. Still, I decided to answer it anyway.

"Hello?"

"Julia, is that you?"

"Uh...yeah, it's me. Who are you?"

"Oh my god, this _is_ the right number! Yaaaaay! It's me, Rosalya!"

"Rosalya? How did you get my number?"

"Um...uh...not important! What _is_ important is the dance! I still have to take your measurements for the costume I'm making you! You didn't forget, did you?"

"Uh..." The truth was, I _did_ forget. Like, completely.

"Oh my god, you didn't..."

"Well..."

"Ugh, no way! This is so important, how could you forget it?!"

"Well Rosalya, you never said exactly when we're doing this!"

"Well we're doing this now! I'm on my way over to get you. I hope I have your address right..."

"Okay..."

"Great, see ya!"

-click-

…...

 _...Wait, WHAT?!_

I had no idea how Rosalya got that information, and honestly, part of me didn't even wanna know. All I knew was that she was coming over, so I had to get ready to go out. At least I got to have a few hours to myself before something like this happened. Heck, I was lucky if I ever got _one_. It didn't take too long for Rosalya to show up and whisk me out of there. I didn't understand why she was in such a hurry, but then, I knew better than to question it. She seemed really excited about this, so I decided to let her have it. After all, I was getting a free costume out of it. Not too bad. It didn't take us very long to get to what I assumed was her house, but...it wasn't a house. It was more like a mansion! Just by looking at it, I could tell it was at least three stories high, and it had so many windows, there had to have been at least ten rooms on each floor!

"Wow..." I said, looking around in amazement as we got inside. "This is your house?"

"Yeah!" She replied, cheerfully. "Well, technically, it's my boyfriend's. He owns a very successful clothing store."

"Oh, really? He must sell a lot to afford a place like this."

"Oh, he does! But it's actually more about the quality. He sells the more expensive stuff because he believes all people should wear nice clothes."

"Well in that case...why make it so expensive then?"

"Because! Those materials don't come cheap, you know! He wouldn't make any money if he sold them for less."

"I guess that's true..."

Rosalya opened the door in front of us and brought me into a huge room full of fabrics, mannequins, and sewing equipment. Once again, I was in awe. Even though fashion was never really my thing, I liked all the pretty colors and textures, and the fact that they had something like this in their house was amazing in and of itself.

"So...how do you wanna do this?" I asked Rosalya, who was already busy picking out some fabrics. "I mean, I don't know how this kind of thing works, so..."

"Oh, don't worry about it!" She replied, bringing over everything that fit in her arms. "I'll take care of everything, all I'll need you to do is answer some questions."

"Questions...? Like what?"

"You know, about the costume! Well this is a school dance, so obviously I'm gonna make you a dress, but it's also Halloween, so what's your favorite Halloween creature?"

"Um, I dunno...all of them?"

"Well I can't design a dress based on all of them! Just pick a few, maybe like two or three."

"Okay...then I pick...witch and vampire."

"Ooh, a vampire-witch, I like it! Next, what colors do you like? I mean, we need to have black, that's just a given for witches and most vampires, but what else?"

"Hmm..." I thought. "I like green a lot, but I also like red too. And blue."

"...Sure, sure. I could work with that. So, black, green, red, and blue? That sounds like an interesting challenge. What about the material? What would you like the dress to be made out of? Oh, and patterns! What kind of designs do you like the most?"

"Well...as for material, I like silky things. They feel nice on my skin. Pattern-wise, it's not really important. But you know...I kind of like those glittery things over there."

"Those? Okay!"

We kind of went back and forth like that for a while. Last, but not least, was measurements; that's what I went there for. But honestly, it took the least amount of time compared to everything else. I don't know if it was the mansion or Rosalya's passion for this kind of stuff, but I was starting to get a little excited. I looked forward to seeing the finished costume, since I had no idea how it was going to turn out. Maybe this dance thing could be fun, after all, who knows? By the time I left Rosalya's house, the sun was already starting to set. I knew I'd been there a while, but I didn't think I was there _that_ long. Luckily, her place was only about a fifteen-minute bus ride from mine, so it didn't take me too long to get back.

I got back to my apartment to find Chris sitting right next to my door. He didn't look too good; he was slumped over and had such a miserable look on his face.

"Hey..." I said quietly, walking over to him. "How long have you been sitting there?"

He didn't respond.

"What's goin' on?" I asked him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, hey." He answered, picking himself up off the floor. "Uhh, nothin'. Nothin' really. Sorry I didn't call, I just...I wanted to talk to you. I didn't know you had plans."

"Oh! No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you wait here on the floor. Honestly, I didn't know either."

Chris smiled sadly. "So you forgot something, huh? That's just like you."

"Wha–I didn't forget!"

He just stared at me, and I could feel myself starting to smile. "...Okay, well maybe I did forget! So what?! ….But that's not why you're here, is it?"

He sighed and looked away. "No...no, it's not."

"Well...why don't you come inside, and we can talk there?"

"Sure." I led him into my apartment and closed the door. "So what's up?"

We walked over to the couch and sat down. "What's up? What's _not_ up? You saw the results today, right?"

"Yeah, I was gonna talk to you about that too." I put a hand on his shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

Chris just shook his head. "I dunno. How am I supposed to feel? I feel...numb. I can't believe that happened. How did that even happen?! I was right up there! You saw!"

"I know..."

"How did Nathaniel beat me so quickly?! How did he get that many votes?! No one's ever gotten that many votes before!"

I understood Chris's frustration. Worse yet, I knew the reason why. But...

 _If you tell anyone about this, I'll tell Lysander things you might not want him to know._

I couldn't. If I told Chris now, even if he swore not to tell anyone, how could I know the secret wouldn't eventually get out? If Nathaniel ever found out I told someone about him, who knows what he'll tell Lysander about me? He could tell him anything, even if it wasn't true. And Lysander would believe it, because...as much as I hated to admit it, he was right; I _can't_ be trusted. Every time someone left me alone, someone else was right around the corner, so all Nathaniel would have to do is tell him there's another guy in the picture and boom: everything falls apart.

"...Julia?" Chris looked at me with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, I–I'm fine! Anyways, don't worry, it's not over. That was just a preview post, so you still have a chance here, Chris."

"Oh c'mon, Julia, you know how these things go. This was the second-to-last results post. The next one will be final! I can't make up a hundred votes in a month, and he might even get more!"

"You don't know that! ….I mean, sure, it seems likely, but...you can't give up! Chris, you were meant for that role, I know it! And don't let anybody tell you otherwise!"

Finally, I got him to smile, like a real, genuine, happy smile. "...Thank you. You know, you're always there for me, right there, supporting me, and I just...what do _I_ do? I moan and complain and yell at you when none of this is your fault. I'm such a jerk."

I smiled back at him. "No, you're not. You're just telling me all your problems, and that's fine. I'm always here to hear you out; that's what friends are for. I'm actually glad you trust me enough to tell me these things. I'm just sorry I don't know how to help."

"No, don't worry about it. Just talking to you helps a lot. Hey...could I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, anything. What is it?"

I didn't notice until that moment, but Chris was now incredibly close to me. Was it my imagination, or had he been inching closer this whole time? I had no idea. In the ensuing silence, he pulled me towards him and wrapped his arms tightly around me in a warm embrace. Softly, he whispered, "Promise me you won't change. Promise me you'll stay by my side. Please."

"Of course." I answered right away, without hesitation. "I'll always be here for you. I promise."

"Thank you..." He trailed off, as we enjoyed a few more moments like that together.

And then...he kissed me. _Woah_. _.._ I thought to myself, as I drowned in the moment. _I never knew he felt_ _ **this**_ _way about me._ I should've seen it coming, but I had no clue. Nevertheless, I really liked Chris, and this feeling was so nice...I wanted it to last forever.

But...

Eventually, it was really late and Chris said he had to go home. I walked him to the door and let him out. He didn't say anything else as he left, just looked at me and smiled, and I did the same. I closed the door slowly behind him and let out a sigh.

 _Why are things always so easy when I'm with him? They were never like that with anyone else._

With a relaxed mindset and a glowing smile, I got ready for bed. Today had been a long day, but it was a good one. I couldn't wait for more days like that~.


End file.
